Former Israeli hostage Amit Soussana honored at annual International Women of Courage Awards in US

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and the U.S. State Department on Tuesday honored Israeli former hostage Amit Soussana and seven other women at the annual International Women of Courage Awards in Washington, D.C.

The State Department awarded women who have "demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, and the empowerment of women and girls." 

Following the announcement that she would receive the prestigious award, Soussana said it was "an honor I never imagined receiving and one I wish I didn't have to accept under these circumstances.”

Like many other freed hostages, she called for the immediate release of the remaining 59 living and deceased Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists.

She recalled her difficult time in captivity in Gaza. 

"In captivity, I had no control over my body, no control over my life," Soussana told the audience at the ceremony. 

"The darkness was suffocating. Yet even in that darkness, one thing they could not take from me was the strength my mother instilled in me – the belief that we must always stand for what is right, no matter the cost," she added.

First Lady Melania Trump addressed the event by stressing the power of love amid challenging times. 

"Throughout my life, I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times," the first lady stated. "Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy, and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles."

Soussana, who survived 55 days in Hamas captivity, returned to Israel in November 2023. 

In March 2024, Soussana revealed that she was raped by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised Soussana for her courage to speak up as a voice for all women who were abused by Hamas operatives. 

“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,” Herzog stated. 

In January 2025, Soussana credited fellow former hostage Liri Albag for saving her life during the difficult captivity in Gaza. 

"Liri is something special," Soussana recalled. "She is a force of nature. I told her when she came back: 'I don't know if they would have killed me or not, as far as I'm concerned, you saved my life.'"

Many Israelis, Jews and friends of Israel have been appalled by the widespread international silence, indifference and even denial concerning Hamas’ systematic war crimes and atrocities committed against Israeli women during and after the Oct. 7 massacre. 

In December 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized international human rights and women’s organizations for their silence amid Hamas crimes against humanity. 

“I didn’t hear the human rights organizations, or the women’s organizations, or the women’s organizations of the UN… and I ask them: Where are you? Were you quiet because we were talking about Jewish women? I want to say this in a language that everybody understands,” Netanyahu demanded. 

Yet, as late as in March 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, continued to deny that Hamas terrorists committed mass rapes against Israeli women during the Oct. 7 massacre.