Doctors reveal health issues suffered by Israeli hostages taken by Hamas

Doctors who treated freed Israeli hostages who were captured by the group Hamas in October have revealed the state of their health when they were returned.

Twenty-six hostages were released to an Israeli hospital where many of them were found to be malnourished, having survived on a diet made up primarily of white bread, a new study states. 

Blood tests also showed they had been exposed to a range of diseases, including typhus and spotted fever, during their 50 days in captivity.

Many of them were also experiencing head lice due to poor hygiene conditions, including a lack of running water. Others had shrapnel wounds that had gone untreated for so long the pieces could not be surgically removed.

Doctors also noted severe psychological trauma, particularly in the young children who had been ripped from their homes or forced to watch loved ones be murdered.

Physicians at the Schneider-Children’s Medical Center in Israel called it an ‘atrocious situation,’ acknowledging the true traumatic toll of the war and captivity will continue to reveal itself for years to come.

Hostages Shiri Weiss and her daughter Noga [left to right], newly freed, approach a Red Cross vehicle in November 2023

The pediatricians, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists and emergency medicine doctors began treating the 26 women and children after they were released during the temporary ceasefire struck last year in November and December.

Their vital signs upon arrival at the hospital were normal, but further examination revealed an array of issues reflective of the conditions in which they were forced to live.

The doctors said: ‘The high rate of diarrheal episodes in our cohort can be explained by the poor sanitation, crowdedness and lack of running water in captivity.

‘The observation that some asymptomatic patients had positive PCR stool tests for several pathogens supports poor hygiene status as well. Moreover, the extremely severe infestation of head lice in our cohort also highlights the poor hygiene conditions in which the hostages were held.’

Six of the 26 people taken to the hospital had head lice and required multiple treatments and haircuts to eliminate it.

Eight people – three women and five children – had shrapnel wounds to their limbs, chest, and pelvis.

Experts treating their injuries decided that, because it had been so long since they sustained them, surgery to remove the shrapnel would not be recommended.

By 50 days of being held captive, the body had begun to heal around the debris, and removing it could disrupt healthy tissue and the healing process.

A hostage is pictured being handed over to the Internation Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza last November

Furthermore, 15 of the 26 hostages showed significant weight loss and reported they had extremely limited food while in captivity: ‘Diet was rice and white bread based, with low quality ingredients and minimal or no intake of vegetables, protein and fat.’

In those 50 days, the seven adult women in the group, who ranged in age from 34 to 78, lost between 7.5 percent and 14 percent of their body weight.

Nineteen children from two to 18 years old were taken. Eight of them lost between five percent and 11 percent of their body weight.

The doctors, whose report was published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, added children who were in captivity with their families showed minimal weight loss.

Six patients, including five children, were covered with insect bites when they arrived at the hospital, and one child had a skin infection.

Other children saw their asthma symptoms worsen during captivity when they only had sporadic access to an inhaler.

Three people also suffered widespread muscle pain, and subsequent testing showed elevated levels of an enzyme that indicated muscle damage, though the doctors did not elaborate.

Twelve-year-old Eitan Yahalomi is pictured right after being reunited with his mother in November 2023

Another patient suffered a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, though there was no lasting damage to his abdominal organs. The infection that resulted was treated in captivity with topical medicines.

In most cases, the extent of the hostages’ psychological trauma could not be seen, though certain behaviors linked to their traumatic experience played out in young children.

The children under seven years old ‘demonstrated submissive behavioral pattern,’ typically manifested as lowered posture, avoiding eye contact, and speaking in a soft voice.

Three toddlers appeared to hoard their food for later.

One patient, a toddler who had been separated from her family and held in isolation for 10 days ‘demonstrated events of unprovoked crying during the stay in our unit. ‘

The doctors added: ‘One woman who had a prior diagnosis of mild anxiety disorder, experienced exacerbations during captivity and reported treatment with short acting benzodiazepine on an irregular basis during captivity.

‘Another adult woman expressed feelings suggestive of Stockholm syndrome.’

US officials estimate fewer than half of the remaining 115 hostages in Gaza have survived the fighting there so far, with both Israel and Hamas putting up obstacles to reaching a deal to release them.

The doctors appeared to understand they would likely face another influx of hostages requiring medical care if and when the remaining hostages were released.

They said: ‘The insights gained in this report could potentially offer assistance in other scenarios involving individuals returning from captivity such as kidnapping and related circumstances.’