This article contains descriptions of torture pertaining to the Gaza hostages, which may not be suitable for some readers.
Hostages who returned from Hamas captivity in Gaza suffered from a myriad of medical and psychological conditions as a result of their imprisonment, with many enduring starvation, sexual abuse, beatings, and more, a Saturday Health Ministry report revealed.
The report is set to be submitted to the United Nations this week.
The report detailed the abuse suffered by the hostages and its impact on their physical and mental health, as described by the personnel who treated them after their return to Israel.
Additionally, the Health Ministry detailed several successful rehabilitation stories based on information collected from professionals who have been providing ongoing care to the returned hostages, who are referred to by pseudonyms in the report.
According to the report, women, men, and children who returned from captivity were subjected to a variety of abuses, including beatings, isolation, deprivation of food and water, branding, hair-pulling, and sexual assault.
Withholding Medical Attention
Many hostages were subjected to torture by withholding medical attention, and at least one hostage is believed to have died from untreated medical complications.
Several older returned hostages developed Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) due to lack of mobility, which, if not treated properly, can be fatal.
Starvation and poor-quality food
In addition to starvation, returned hostages reported that the food and water they had access to were of poor quality, leading to multiple cases of malnutrition and illness, including Sarcopenia, Refeeding Syndrome, and other disorders.
The report noted that doctors who treated the hostages expressed concern that the released children may suffer long-term effects on their development and growth.
Further, returned hostages reportedly lost an average of 10-17% of their body weight. In extreme cases, children lost up to 18% of their body weight and required intensive care upon return.
Psychological abuse
Most released hostages returned home to discover their families had been murdered by Hamas and their homes had been destroyed.
Without the support systems they once had, many of the released hostages had no one to turn to during their recovery.
Hostages also reported severe nightmares, along with sleep deprivation, as they attempted to avoid recurring nightmares.
Many also reported experiencing derealization, struggling to accept that they weren't suffering from hallucinations or dreams in captivity.
Additionally, numerous hostages have been suffering from survivor’s guilt, and many have also avoided opening up about their experiences due to fear of retaliation against their family members still held captive.
Long-term studies of Israeli prisoners of war over 35 years have shown that many of the returned hostages are at high risk for Delayed-Onset Stress Disorder (PTSD), meaning treatment will be required even years after release.
Physical and sexual abuse
The ages, names, and genders of children were hidden to protect their anonymity.
Two children reported that they were bound together and beaten throughout their captivity, and two additional children were found with burn marks consistent with branding on their lower limbs.
Two teenage hostages described how they were made to perform sexual acts on each other.
Many hostages of all ages and genders described undergoing sexual abuse at the hands of their captors, including a woman who was assaulted at gunpoint by a Hamas terrorist.
'How can you remain silent?' Hostages and Missing Families Forum respond to report
“The shocking testimonies from released hostages paint a grim reality: physical abuse, psychological torment, and dehumanizing conditions were inflicted on innocent people, some as young as children and as old as grandparents, for more than 50 excruciating days,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement following the release of the report.
“To the world, its leaders, and humanitarian organizations: How can you watch this torture continue? How can you remain silent? The truth cannot be denied - every hostage faces mortal danger each day they remain in captivity," it added.
"This critical report underscores the urgent need to release all hostages as swiftly as possible,” Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov, Director General of the Health Ministry, said.
"We view it as both a responsibility and a privilege to provide optimal medical care and support for those who were brutally kidnapped by Hamas terrorists," Bar-Siman-Tov added. "We are hopeful for the return of all hostages—the living for treatment and rehabilitation, and the deceased for a dignified burial in Israel."
“Not a day passes without my thoughts being with the immense hardships faced by those who have returned and those still held in captivity,” Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Health Ministry’s medical directorate, said.
“The severe physical and mental states of the returnees offer the world a glimpse into the widespread atrocities committed by Hamas," he added.