An Israeli woman who survived 55 days in Hamas captivity following the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state was honored Tuesday by first lady Melania Trump with the State Department’s 19th International Women of Courage Award.
With the first lady and Secretary of State Marco Rubio looking on, lawyer Amit Soussana spoke briefly about her renewed appreciation for freedom after being released from captivity on Nov. 30, 2023.
“In captivity, I had no control over my body, no control over my life,” she recounted. “I resisted as best as I could, but it was not enough to stop what happened to me. The darkness was suffocating.”
“Yet even in the darkness, there was one thing they could not have taken from me: the strength my mother instilled in me, the belief that we must always stand for what is right, no matter the cost.”
Rubio noted that after her release, Soussana revealed “details of the sexual violence she endured as a hostage” and that medical professionals had documented “the atrocities that she suffered.”
“Today, I understand the true meaning of freedom in a way I never had before,” Soussana said. “To see the moon and stars and to breathe, to choose one’s own life, those are things I will never take for granted.”
Inaugurated by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2007, the State Department’s International Women of Courage Award honors women around the world who have, in the department’s words, demonstrated “exceptional courage, strength, and leadership – often at great personal risk and sacrifice.”
In addition to Soussana, Tuesday’s recipients were Burkina Faso National Human Rights Commission President Henriette Da, Papua New Guinea anti-human trafficking activist Major Velena Iga, South Sudanese women’s rights leader Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit, Sri Lankan journalist Namini Wijedasa, Yemeni detainees advocate Amat Al-Salam Al-Hajj, Romanian disabilities rights activist Georgiana Pascu and Filipino marine conservationist Angelique Songco.
“These extraordinary women illuminate the transformative power of love in shaping our world,” the first lady said. “Their journeys remind us that true courage is born from a deep commitment to others, showing that love fuels the call for justice.”
In addition to the first lady, other top female Trump administration officials attended the ceremony, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
