JWI's Remarks on Amit Soussana's Survivor Account of 10/7
From Jewish Women International on March 26, 2024:
The New York Times today shared the first named survivor account of sexual abuse while in Hamas captivity. The long article is horrifying and detailed, and strengthens our commitment to fighting for Israeli women and calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza.
Amit Soussana, a 40 year-old Israeli lawyer, provided The Times with extensive details of sexual abuse and other violence she suffered during the 55 days she was held hostage by Hamas. For weeks, she suffered extreme sexual torture and degradation at the hands of her captors, both in private homes around Gaza and in Hamas tunnels. She endured physical and psychological abuse. She was completely dependent on her abusers for her continued survival.
We commend Amit for her bravery in coming forward. Her testimony confirms what the U.N. fact-finding team shared in March, and what we have known to be true since Oct. 7: Hamas and other terrorists committed acts of sexual violence during and after they attacked southern Israel.
Unfortunately, the shameful campaign to discredit Amit has already begun. A spokesman for Hamas attempted to discredit her in a lengthy and conspiratorial statement to The Times. And for months, bad actors have attempted to discredit independently verified accounts of sexual violence.
We want you to be prepared to push back on this virulent campaign aimed at discrediting Israeli survivors.
In Amit’s first public response, videotaped by Hamas minutes before she was freed, she pretended to have been treated well. As she told The Times, she did so in fear of not being released. This video, made under duress, is now being weaponized to discredit her.
Those of us working in the field of gender-based violence know that Amit’s behavior is consistent with how survivors typically respond to trauma. Survivors of sexual abuse fear shame, stigma, and retribution. These fears are amplified for survivors of Oct. 7, given the overwhelming attempts to discredit them — and given that so many men, women, and children remain captive in Gaza.
In closed door meetings with government officials and while on the ground in Israel, JWI staff have seen and heard firsthand accounts of horrific sexual violence that are similar to what Amit and medical experts shared with The Times.
We don’t need more proof; we need more action.
More than 100 men, women and children are still held by terrorists in the Gaza strip. Each day that they remain in captivity is another day that they face horrific violence.
In just a few weeks, JWI, together with Seed the Dream Foundation, will be leading an I Believe Israeli Women delegation to stand in solidarity with Israelis, bear witness to the horrors of Oct. 7, and hold Hamas accountable for its use of rape as a weapon of war.
If you have not already done so, please join us in this vital work by signing the pledge: I Believe Israeli Women.
Do not allow what happened to them to be erased.
Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to end violence against women and girls domestically and internationally. JWI's National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence in the Jewish Community is the hub of resources, trainings, and research to support the field. It convenes The Collaborative, the network of all Jewish domestic violence agencies in the U.S. and established and hosts the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force to End Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community. A Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, JWI’s advocacy efforts focus on the passage of legislation that supports women and girls, ensures their economic security, and protects their right to live free of violence.