US first lady Melania Trump honored former Israeli hostage Amit Soussana and seven other women on Tuesday at the US State Department’s 19th annual International Women of Courage Awards.

Soussana, who was taken captive from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and held hostage by Hamas for 55 days, was recognized for her decision to speak publicly about her experience, including the sexual violence she endured. Her testimony allowed medical professionals to document the abuse, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.Soussana said she was “deeply proud” to receive this award.

“In captivity, I had no control over my body, no control over my life,” she said 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.”

The recognition was “an honor I never imagined receiving, and one I wish I didn’t have to accept under these circumstances,” Soussana said, adding that the time to free the rest of the hostages in Gaza was long overdue.

US first lady Melania Trump sits as International Women of Courage Award recipient Amit Soussana, an Israeli former hostage kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, speaks during a ceremony at the Department of State in Washington, DC, US, April 1, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)
US first lady Melania Trump sits as International Women of Courage Award recipient Amit Soussana, an Israeli former hostage kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, speaks during a ceremony at the Department of State in Washington, DC, US, April 1, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

Recognizing women who 'demonstrated courage, strength, leadership'

The award recognizes women who have “demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, and the empowerment of women and girls – often at great personal risk and sacrifice,” the State Department said.

“Throughout my life, I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times,” Melania Trump said. “Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy, and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles.”

Soussana's captivity

Soussana was the focus of a groundbreaking New York Times report last May in which she revealed in an interview that her Hamas captors had sexually assaulted her.

Since she was released, she has continued advocating for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and has spoken openly about the sexual violence she endured in captivity, most notably at the UN Security Council.