Orit Strook, Israel’s Minister of Settlements and National Missions, has been accused by her daughter, Shoshana Strook, of sexual abuse—alongside her husband and one of their sons.
Shoshana made the allegations in a statement posted on social media, revealing that she had filed a formal complaint in Italy and was seeking justice and relief.
“After a long period of doubt, extreme emotional states, and a lot of guilt, I wanted to share that I experienced sexual abuse by both of my parents and one of my brothers,” Shoshana wrote.
She also claimed that her parents physically harmed her three younger brothers, stating: “After years of beatings and guilt, I finally spoke out. The memories are overwhelming, but I need justice.”
While Orit Strook has been known to spread false narratives and unsubstantiated claims that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas committed sexual assaults during the October 7 attacks, she now faces grave allegations of having abused her own children.
Very little is known about Shoshana, as there is very little information available about her in the public domain. It is also not clear why she chose to file the case in Italy.
The Strook family has been in the spotlight before. In 2007, Orit Strook’s son, Zviki Strook, was reportedly charged with kidnapping and torturing a Palestinian minor.
Who is Orit Strook?
Shoshana’s mother, Orit Strook, was born into a Jewish family of Hungarian lawyers. She married Avraham Strook, a student of a rabbi, and the couple chose to live in illegal settlements on Palestinian land.
Their first home was in the settlement of Yamit in the Sinai Peninsula. However, following the 1982 evacuation of Yamit after the Sinai was returned to Egypt under the 1979 peace treaty, the Strook family relocated to Hebron—again, settling illegally.
Long active in the settler movement, Orit Strook rose to prominence as a leader of the Jewish settlement in Hebron. She also founded an NGO that supported illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, leading the organisation from 2004 to 2012.
Since 2013, she has continued to live in the Avraham Avinu settlement in Hebron.
Strook, from the far-right Jewish Power party, said the goals are to free Israeli captives, dismantle Hamas, and eliminate Gaza as a threat to Israel.
She is a member of the Knesset representing the National Religious Party–Religious Zionism and a staunch supporter of illegal settlements on Palestinian land. Her extremism has become more pronounced, particularly after the October 7 attacks.
In 2024, Strook stated that Israel should maintain a “long-term military presence in Gaza and annex the occupied West Bank”. She also argued there should be no exit strategy from Gaza.
Strook made headlines after posting a video to her X account from a Knesset session in which she declared:
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian people… There will never be a Palestinian state in the land of Israel. Every cultured person in the world knows that this land is ours, for the Israeli people and only for us.”
Strook further argued that a Palestinian state would be an “existential threat” to Israel and a danger to “the peace and order of the whole world.”
In May 2024, she opposed a proposed ceasefire agreement in Israel’s war on Gaza, which included a hostage deal and a halt to hostilities.
Strook also criticised the United States for its diplomatic efforts to broker peace, stating that the US “doesn’t deserve to be called a friend of the State of Israel.”
Abuse runs in the family
Strook is a mother of eleven and a grandmother of twelve. In 2007, a Palestinian boy was found severely beaten and bleeding after escaping an alleged torture session.
It was later revealed that Zviki Strook and his friends had entered a Palestinian neighbourhood, captured a 15-year-old boy, handcuffed and beat him, stripped him, and allegedly hit him with an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) before leaving him tied up in a field. The victim escaped hours later, suffering from severe injuries.
Zviki was also reported to have killed a newborn goat at the scene by kicking it to death. He was convicted on charges related to the attack and served 30 months in an Israeli prison.
Following the conviction, Orit Strook defended her son, stating:
“Unlike the court, which preferred to believe the Arab witnesses, we are sure of Zvi’s innocence and are hurting from the success of his haters. We will assist him in dealing with the difficult sentence imposed on him.”
Shoshana’s recent statement does not specify which brother was the alleged abuser, leaving it unclear whether Zviki was referred to in the allegations.
Shoshana Strook, daughter of Israeli Minister of Settlements and National Missions Orit Strook, says she filed a complaint in Italy against both her parents and one of her brothers for sexually assaulting her.
