Amit Soussana

Amit Soussana, a 40-year-old lawyer and Sapir College graduate, endured a harrowing 55-day ordeal as a hostage of Hamas following an assault on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. On that fateful morning, Soussana, who was home sick with a fever, communicated with her family via WhatsApp, conveying the terror unfolding outside her window with messages like, “There’s shooting,” “they’re attacking the kibbutz,” and “They’re outside my window. It’s scary, it doesn’t seem real.” Her communication was cut short when her phone battery died, her last message sent at 10:07 a.m.

Living alone in an apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Soussana was confirmed as a hostage on October 29, 22 days after her abduction. She recounted her violent capture, describing how her captors "tied my hands and feet and dragged me to Gaza." Soussana vividly recalled the physical abuse she endured during the abduction, stating, "It took them more than an hour to take me to the border. I was beaten. My whole face and body were swollen."

Throughout her captivity, Soussana experienced severe emotional and physical distress, describing every moment as potentially her last and every second as an eternity. She was held in inhumane conditions within a tunnel, a setting that amplified her constant fear and tension. Soussana highlighted the restrictive and oppressive environment, where prisoners were forbidden from talking, crying, or comforting each other, saying, "Being a prisoner of Hamas means being afraid to smile at every moment."

Adding to the trauma, Soussana revealed that her house was demolished by Hamas terrorists, further intensifying the hardship of her captivity. She was released on November 30.