Chilling revelations emerge from an Israeli report: Gaza hostages, including children, allegedly suffered horrific abuse during their captivity in the hands of Hamas. Burns, sexual abuse…
It is a damning report which has just been transmitted by the Israeli Ministry of Health to the UN. Based on the heartbreaking testimonies of hostages released last year from the Gaza Strip following a brief truce, this document exposes the appalling physical and sexual abuse they allegedly suffered during their captivity at the hands of Hamas. Among these victims are even children.
Burns, deprivation, rape: the horror experienced by the hostages
According to sources close to the case, the chilling accounts collected reveal multiple forms of torture and abuse. Some hostages say they were burned, beaten or deprived of food and water by their captors. Even more horrifying, rapes and sexual assaults are reported.
One of the freed hostages says he was sexually abused by a Hamas terrorist under force at gunpoint. Some women described being tied to beds while their captors watched.
Excerpt from the Israeli Ministry of Health report
This is not the first time that Israel has denounced such abuses, with Hamas systematically denying these accusations. But the official submission of this damning report to the UN special rapporteur on torture should give a new dimension to this affair.
251 people kidnapped during the October 7 attack
As a reminder, it was during the surprise attack launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, a prelude to the war in the Gaza Strip, that 251 Israeli civilians were captured and taken to Palestinian territory. A month later, a brief truce allowed the release of 105 of them. But 96 are still in Hamas hands to this day, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army.
Israel calls for increased pressure on Hamas
Faced with these terrible revelations, Israeli Health Minister Uriel Busso called on the international community to “increase pressure on Hamas” to obtain the release of the hostages still held. President Isaac Herzog, for his part, urged the UN to do everything possible to “ensure that the hostages return home immediately,” declaring that the organization now had all the facts in hand and a “moral obligation to act.” .
Hostage negotiations at an impasse
Although progress appeared to have been made recently towards an agreement on the fate of the hostages and a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the talks are now at a standstill, with Israel and Hamas mutually rejecting the responsibility for this blockage. For its part, the Hostage Families Forum, the main support association, calls for “an agreement to be found as quickly as possible to ensure the immediate release of all the hostages”.
But with these revelations which risk further inflaming minds, it is unfortunately to be feared that this hostage crisis, open for almost a year now, will not find a rapid epilogue. Eyes are now turned to the UN to see if and how the organization will be able to take up this burning issue and act decisively to put an end to the unspeakable ordeal endured by the hostages in the hands of Hamas.
