Following the difficulties encountered by Israeli hostages returning from captivity in Gaza, the report containing dire descriptions will be submitted to the United Nations this week by the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, has asked the State of Israel for an official response regarding the report examining torture and atrocities suffered by those abducted since October 7, which also includes the issue of sexual violence in war.
The report contains extremely harsh descriptions of the horrors experienced by the abductees, including sexual abuse, starvation, neglect, humiliation and above all the cruelty of Hamas terrorists.
It is divided into two sections. The first section details the neglect, abuse, torture and humiliation suffered by hostages who were freed or rescued from their captivity in Gaza, as well as the impact of these experiences on their physical and mental condition. This section is based on interviews with medical teams who treated the hostages upon their return to Israel. The second section of the report examines the rehabilitation models that have been deemed appropriate for returnees, drawing on data collected from primary care nurses, doctors and mental health professionals who provide ongoing care, including through specialized clinics for returnees.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said: “The UN and the international community are trying to continue their daily agenda while forgetting the torture and horrors of October 7. We will never forget the atrocities and we will not stop until we bring all the abductees home.”
For its part, the committee of the families of the hostages declared that “the report from the Ministry of Health, which will be submitted to the UN, relating to the neglect, ill-treatment, torture and humiliation suffered by the kidnapped people in captivity, is further proof of the urgency of freeing the 100 hostages (still held by Hamas terrorists) as quickly as possible.
The revolting and horrific cases described in the report were the daily reality of the abductees who were held captive for approximately 50 days. The report leaves no room for doubt: all those kidnapped are humanitarian cases, and everyone must be released as part of the agreement: the living must be able to return home and those murdered or fallen in combat must be repatriated for a proper burial in their country.”
Israeli Health Minister Ouriel Busso said: “The report we are submitting to the UN is a poignant testimony to the brutal experiences of hostages in Hamas captivity – cruel violence, psychological abuse, physical torment and which defy understanding. These are actions that cannot be tolerated and demand that the world wake up and act. The report highlights the horrors endured by the hostages and reveals to the world the brutality of the enemy Israel is engaged with. The testimony presented in this report serves as a wake-up call to the international community to increase pressure on Hamas and its supporters to release all hostages without delay. I urge the international community to use all available means to end this cruelty and immediately return the hostages home. This is a moral and humanitarian imperative, and the time to act is running out.”
Dr Hagar Mizrahi, head of the medical directorate of the Ministry of Health, said:
“Since the start of the war, medical teams have worked day and night to treat and save the many wounded, both physically and mentally. From the beginning, the health system was entrusted with the care of those who were cruelly kidnapped by Hamas. We were exposed to the horrors and appalling conditions that the hostages endured, as well as the profound suffering of those who were murdered in captivity.”
