Israel-Hamas war: Disturbing video shows Hamas kidnapping Israeli lawyer during Oct 7 attack

A disturbing video has emerged that showsan Israeli lawyer being kidnapped by Hamas militants during the Oct 7 attack. According to a report by the New York Post on Monday (Dec 4), a local Israeli news channel aired a snippet of 40-year-old Amit Soussana’s abduction. The video showed Soussana flanked by several Hamas militants marching outside of her house in Kibbutz Kfar Azza.

Soussana struggled to escape the group, but one of the militants propped her over his shoulder to try and get her to be still. However, the lawyer flailed around and kicked another militant trying to grab her legs.

The commotion eventually knocked down the militant lifting her and causing the rest of the group to stop their advancement and encircle her. She was then wrapped in a sheet and taken to the Gaza Strip.

Lawyer released from captivity just before truce ended

The New York Post report said that Soussana was among the last group of hostages released by Hamas on Thursday, a day before its truce deal with Israel ended. The 40-year-old was freed along with Israeli-French citizen Mia Schem. In total, 10 hostages were released that day.

A report by the Times of Israel said that Soussana used to live alone in Kibbutz Kfar Azza and was hiding in a safe room in her house when she was kidnapped.

Disturbing image: This screenshot shows Hamas militants kidnapping Israeli lawyer Amit Soussana on Oct 7, 2023.

Hamas didn't want women hostages to reveal treatment: US

A United States official said on Monday that Hamas did not want women hostages to reveal their treatment under the Palestinian militant group's captivity, as it did not want them to speak publicly about sexual violence.

"It seems one of the reasons they don't want to turn women over that they've been holding hostage and the reason this pause fell apart is they don't want those women to be able to talk about what happened to them during their time in custody," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

"There is very little that I would put beyond Hamas when it comes to its treatment of civilians and particularly its treatment of women," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos, and videos.