Israeli Hostage Says She Was Sexually Assaulted And Tortured In Gaza

SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND TOTURED BY HAMAS!:AMIT SOUSSANA TELLS ALL ABOUT ABDUCTION ON OCTOBER 7, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND TORTUREReturned hostage Amit Soussana provided The New York Times a first in-depth interview about the sexual violence and torture she went through in Gaza, following her abduction during the Hamas-led October 7 attack on southern Israel.“He came towards me and shoved the gun at my forehead,” Soussana, a lawyer, recalled. “Then he, with the gun pointed at me, forced me to commit a sexual act on him."During eight hours of interviews with The New York Times, in mid-March, Soussana  provided the most in-depth view into her life and the horrors she experienced since October 7.The report included interviews with doctors who treated the former hostages as soon as she returned from Gaza, as well as the medical records, videos, text messages and photographs.Soussana, 40, was abducted from her home on October 7 by at least 10 men who had beaten her and dragged her into Gaza. Days later, a guard started asking about her sex life.She was chained by her left ankle, held in a child's bedroom, and sometimes the guard would sit beside her on the bed, lift her shirt and touch her. He also repeatedly asked about her period and when it would end.About a week later, the captor named Muhammad unlocked the chain and took her to the bathroom. Once she was undressed and washing herself, he returned with a pistol, forced her to remove a towel she had wrapped herself in, groped her and then hit her.He took her to bedroom, described as a child's room filled with SpongeBob SquarePants images, and that's when Soussana said she was forced to commit the sexual act.The New York Times reported that extensive details of the sexual and other violence were provided during the interview, adding that the personal account of Soussana was consistent with what she told two doctors and a social worker less than 24 hours after she was freed on November 30. While the exact details were documented both in the medical file and as part of the interview, NYT agreed not to disclose the specifics. In an incident of torture, Soussana said a group of captors "suspended her across the gap between two couches and beat her."The United Nations sent its own team to investigate the claims, and in a report spanning 24 pages, it was stated that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that Hamas terrorists committed sexual violence at multiple locations during the assault, as well as credible information indicating other forms of sexual violence, such as genital mutilation and sexualized torture.ISRAELI President Isaac Herzog added to the report, saying "Amit Soussana speaks for all those who cannot speak. She speaks for all the victims of Hamas’ despicable sexual crimes and abuse. She speaks for all women everywhere.""The whole world has the moral duty to stand with Amit - and all the victims - in condemning Hamas’s brutal terror, and in demanding the immediate return of all the hostages," the president concluded.https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/survivor-testimonies/artc-amit-soussana-tells-all-about-abduction-on-october-7-sexual-assault-and-torture