At the Knesset, Former Hostages Tell of
Endless Sexual Abuse
At the Knesset, former hostages who had been released in the November exchange of imprisoned terrorists for Israeli civilians held captive told what it was like for them in Gaza. The focus of the Knesset hearing was on the sexual abuse and rape of the female captives. The world, in danger of forgetting about the hostages, as all eyes are on Israel’s putative misdeeds in Gaza, needs to be constantly reminded of what is happening to those still held captive. More on their testimony can be found here:
‘Raped Daily’: Former Israeli Hostages Recount Sexual Abuse by Hamas Terrorists as Families Plead for Action
by Debbie Weiss, Algemeiner, April 7, 2024:
In an emotional hearing at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, former hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza recounted harrowing tales of sexual harassment and abuse, as families of those still held captive pleaded for the Israeli government to do more to secure their release.
“As hard as it is to say, every girl there goes through sexual harassment one way or another,” said Mia Regev, who was freed in November after 50 days in captivity. Fighting back tears, she urged lawmakers to take action, saying, “Your job is to bring them back home.”
Sharon Aloni-Cunio, also released in November, said “the fear is endless” for female captives. “To be a woman in captivity is to be in constant fear; it can’t be described in words,” she told the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of Women’s Status and Gender Equality. “The terrorist is the sole arbiter of your fate.”
She added: “The feeling of helplessness is one I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Each moment feels never-ending and every movement of the terrorists causes stomach cramping because who knows what might happen.”
Mothers and sisters of the remaining hostages stood with their loved ones’ pictures outside the committee room, some of them wearing clothes that appeared to be stained with blood. Liri Albag’s mother, Shira, said at the start of the hearing, “She’s in hell. Does anyone understand what it means to be in hell?”
“Our daughters experience daily suffering there. They are harmed in body and soul. My Liri was, and still is — I don’t know because I have no information about her — a slave in the homes of Gazans,” she said.
“All the decision-makers — you need to understand that every day you witness the rape that happens in Gaza,” she continued. “These girls are raped daily and everyone ignores them. You close your eyes. I hear Liri every day screaming for help: ‘Mom, save me already.’ Liri’s soul is crushed, and I cannot speak about what has happened to her body.”
Yaffa Ohad, the aunt of Noa Argamani, attended the hearing instead of Argamani’s mother, who is dying of cancer. Ohad fainted during the hearing and required medical attention. Before she fainted, Ohad said since the testimony of Amit Soussana, the first hostage to go public with her testimony of sexual torture during her captivity, had “wiped the family out. The thoughts will not leave us alone.”…
Do you think that the international media will cover these harrowing stories of how the female hostages held by Hamas are being subject to nonstop sexual abuse? Outside of Israel itself, those hostages are being forgotten. The media’s bandwidth only has room, it seems,for Israel’s “genocidal” attacks in Gaza, its “indiscriminate bombing,” its “unforgivable killing of humanitarian aid workers.” Continue to remind yourself, and remind others whenever you can, of what those hostages every day continue to endure.
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