Israeli hostage tells the UN how she was sexually tortured by Hamas

An Israeli hostage who was brutally [sexually assaulted] and tortured at the hands of her Hamas captors has gone before the UN to tell of her harrowing ordeal and call for a release of those still held in Gaza. Lawyer Amit Soussana (pictured) was on sick leave at her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into her house and kidnapped her.

Israeli security cameras captured how fiercely she fought them, kicking and punching until a group of the terrorists were forced to lift her and carry her on foot back across the border into Gaza.

She was released some 55 days later along with several other hostages including Franco-Israeli Mia Schem in unforgettable scenes that saw masked militants hand her over to Red Cross volunteers as baying Palestinians watched on.

Yesterday she delivered an emotional appeal to the UN Security Council in which she offered a graphic description of her treatment. ‘I was alone, chained by the ankles with a metal shackle, unable to move, and forced to beg to use the bathroom,’ she said. 

‘I was sexually assaulted by the Hamas terrorist who guarded me. He forced me into the shower, following closely with his gun aimed at me. His heavy breathing and predatory stare were terrifying… I was powerless to stop it. I had no one to comfort me and had to “behave” for the man who had just violated me in the most horrifying way.’

Sousanna’s testimony continued, ‘A few days later, I was moved to a new location, watched over by other Hamas terrorists… In this new place, I was tortured – hung upside down, beaten, and humiliated. Every moment, I feared for my life.’ She then launched into a passionate plea for the 15-member UN Security Council to step in to end the hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon and secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. 

‘Act immediately to ensure the release of those still in captivity. Each passing day causes them further psychological harm and endangers their lives. Act before it’s too late. I beg you not to turn a blind eye to the horrors being inflicted on innocent civilians,’ she said. ‘It is your responsibility to protect human rights, fight terrorism, and bring the perpetrators to justice… Secure the freedom of the hostages and ensure no one else endures such a fate.’

Sousanna’s plea came as Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian (pictured) also accused the Security Council of not fulfilling its duty to tackle the Middle East conflict – albeit for very different reasons. ‘The fire of war is still raging in the Palestinian Gaza Strip and Lebanese cities,’ Pezeshkian told leaders from emerging economies at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

‘And international institutions… topped by the United Nations Security Council – who are drivers of international peace and security – lack the necessary efficiency to extinguish the fire of this crisis.’ Pezeshkian condemned Israel for violating ‘the red lines’ of different states and ‘producing a new wave of violence and terror’. Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Islamic Republic has criticised the UN body for being inactive and ineffective in ending conflict in the Middle East and is engaged in an intense diplomatic campaign to establish ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.

The efforts are also aimed at preventing the conflict from expanding across the region after Israel’s threat to retaliate to an attack by Iran on October 1. Iran supports Hezbollah and the Palestinian movement Hamas, whose militant groups are fighting Israel. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also turned to social media to criticise the UN for turning ‘into a frustratingly dysfunctional platform’.

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