Dozens of the 136 Israeli abductees suffer from chronic illnesses and are not being treated - the Red Cross has already stated that it has failed in its attempts to reach the abductees, check their condition, and provide the necessary medical treatment, to medical patients among them. Along with psychological terror, torture and harsh living conditions, many suffer from a disciplinary deterioration in their personal health conditions, many of which are life-threatening.
"From the testimonies of abductees who returned after seeing their friends in a difficult situation, we know about the difficult situation in captivity by the brutal Hamas," says Prof. Hagai Levin, chairman of the Union of Public Health Doctors and head of the medical department at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, "of course the mental issue is central, they are abused psychologically oriented, but in the midst of that there are people who suffer from previous problems, both mental and internal, need regular treatment and without it their condition is deteriorating."
Not only chronic diseases threaten the condition of the abductees, but also the treatment of the acute injuries that happened during their abduction and in their stay in captivity: "The abductees tell of complete darkness or dark lighting, poor hygiene conditions, the wounds are neither disinfected nor dressed, and there is evidence of severe infections, infections, lice, and scabies, they all testify to the severe sanitary conditions in captivity," says Prof. Levin.
This is the list of chronic diseases from which some of the abductees suffer, the names of most of them are kept confidential in the system, for the others, the families agreed to publish their medical conditions. Here is the list that is known so far:
Asthma
Asthma manifests itself in shortness of breath attacks that lead within minutes to the danger of death. The disease is usually caused by an allergic sensitivity, in which the lung nadis contract and do not allow the inhaled air to go out. The attack manifests itself in the patient's attempt to inhale air, quick and shallow breaths until the respiratory muscles between the ribs and diaphragm become fatigued, apnea and collapse.
One of the abductees suffering from this disease is Amr Shem Tov, a 21-year-old resident of Herzliya. Since he was born, Shem Tov has suffered from breathing problems and he takes inhalers regularly. Around the age of 13, he was also diagnosed with celiac disease, which causes iron deficiency, low hemoglobin, anemia, weakness, and severe stomach pains, and he is required to eat a gluten-free diet. Any diet containing this wheat protein leads to a severe, painful celiac attack, and with repeated exposure, the situation may deteriorate into irreversible damage to the intestines, life-threatening inflammations, and even the development of malignant tumors.
"We have been going through three months of incessant worry, immense mental pain, and lack of sleep," says Shelli Shem Tov, Omar's mother, "We have no day or night. Without the inhalers and proper nutrition, Omar is in danger of his life. Also with the harsh conditions of captivity, they are making his condition worse. We have despaired of the Red Cross, which has not helped until now. Whoever is responsible, the army, the government, the world - they need to find them, and quickly. I don't know what needs to be done, I'm just Omar's mother who wants my child home now."
Diabetes mellitus
In Israel, there are about 400,000 type 2 diabetes patients ("adult diabetes") in which there is a lack of the insulin hormone whose function is to introduce sugar (glucose) from the blood into the body's cells. The result is very high levels of sugar, and hyperglycemia, which endangers life and damages the blood vessels and peripheral nerves, up to the risk of heart attacks, blindness, and amputation. According to what is known, there are several abductees whose names are withheld in the system, who suffer from diabetes and are being medicated with pills and insulin injections.Without these drugs, they can quickly reach a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate without treatment. Untreated diabetics are also at high risk of infections, convulsions, loss of consciousness, and, as mentioned, necrosis of the organs to the point of amputation and irreversible damage to vision.
Nearsightedness
Many of the abductees suffer from myopia, medically called "myopia", and they are forced to remain in captivity without their glasses, when they cannot see. The poor lighting conditions in captivity make it even more difficult for those suffering from myopia, which decreases even more in the dark. At least one of the abductees underwent laser surgery to remove glasses shortly before the abduction, and without medical tests, his condition could get complicated.
Allergies
Some of the abductees suffer from various types of allergies, which manifest not only as asthma and celiac disease as in the case of Omar Shem Tov, but in more severe reactions manifested by swelling in response to exposure to the allergen. One of the abductees suffers from a rarer allergy in response to the cold, in which a condition called angioedema occurs - swelling of areas of the body. The winter that afflicts the Gaza Strip as well, and the lack of proper heating, in such a situation, may cause a severe attack that may also be life-threatening.
Hypertension
It is called the "silent killer," because it does not show signs until extensive damage to the organs; hypertension is perhaps the most common disease in the world among adults and the elderly, which also affects a large part of the abductees and the elderly abductees. A break in drug treatment leads to an increase in blood pressure to the point of danger of a "hypertensive crisis" - a condition in which the blood pressure rises to extreme levels that may end in death.
Endocrine diseases
Some of the abductees who suffer from chronic diseases also suffer from disorders of the hormonal system, in which a disorder of the thyroid gland, the gland responsible for the body's metabolism, is common. One of them is 84-year-old Alma Avraham, who was released from captivity suffering from serious and life-threatening complications, after not being treated.
Another abductee who also suffers from a thyroid disorder is Hanan Yablonka, a 42-year-old father of two from Tel Aviv, who suffers from hypothyroidism and Addison's disease - hypoactivity of the adrenal gland. Without treatment, which includes the drug "Altroxin" for the thyroid gland and corticosteroids for the adrenal gland, dysfunction of both glands leads to an immediate danger to life since they affect almost every tissue in the body.
"I am very worried," says his sister Avivit Yablonka, "we are trying to keep ourselves busy, but the thoughts do not stop around the concern for nutrition and treatment for the disease. All world leaders should unite and raise the cry of the kidnapped, and give immediate medical help. If the Red Cross is not as capable as we have seen, someone in the world has to do this. As soon as they enter Gaza, all the abductees suffer from medical problems, and Hanan is one of those who, without treatment, deteriorates to an immediate life-threatening condition."
Inflammatory bowel diseases
22-year-old Omar Venkert from Gedera is one of the abductees suffering from ulcerative colitis, one of two inflammatory bowel diseases (the other is Crohn's disease). He is being treated with the drug Rafsal and without the drug treatment and a balanced diet, especially in stressful situations, very serious disorders appear in the digestive system that include abdominal pain, fluid loss, bleeding to the point of anemia and fear of losing consciousness.
"I have to save my son twice," says his father, Shay Venkert, "from the damned kidnappers, and his medical condition took his life. Without the medicine, the child dies, and the body's systems collapse. We are two hundred percent successful, and we feel that the whole nation is with us in the uncompromising struggle, but the government must be more assertive, if only so that today's children know that when they go to enlist, they will know that the state is doing everything for them to return home."