Health Minister Uriel Busso, whose ministry led the efforts in compiling the report, said it “…depicts the atrocities that hostages suffered and reveals to the world the cruelty of the enemies we are dealing with.” He added, “These testimonies serve as a wake-up call to the international community. The world needs to see the reality of what hostages endured – and what those still in captivity continue to face.”
According to the Jerusalem Post, extensive testimonies from released hostages in the report detail how they were intentionally separated from other kidnapped family members in captivity and that children who were taken hostage were forced to watch videos of the October 7 atrocities.
The report stated that hostages underwent surgeries without anesthesia or medication. Female captives were reportedly treated as slaves. Hostages were in darkness for days, with their hands and feet tied up, forced to wait hours and even days before being permitted to use a toilet and forced to soil themselves and were not allowed to shower.
Hostages were also reportedly beaten all over their bodies, some had their hair pulled out, and some were also burned and branded, while others, including children, were sexually assaulted.
Additionally, they received little food or water, but before the release deal, Palestinian terrorists increased the hostages’ food portions to create the false impression that hostages were treated better than they were. Despite the last ditch effort, children reportedly lost between five and ten kilograms, and adults lost on average 15 kg. The weight loss also caused muscle deterioration and weakened their immune systems.
In addition to describing abuses suffered at the hands of Hamas captors, the report also described the challenges hostages faced after returning home, including severe trauma. Many rarely left their homes and struggled to return to routines. Some also developed a fear of sleeping alone, while others continue to suffer from physical pain. Children who were released struggle with food and either eat less of it or hoard it.
On October 7, 2023, 251 hostages were abducted from Israel during the Palestinian terrorist attack on the Jewish state where 1,200 people were raped, tortured, and murdered and thousands more were injured. 96 are still being held hostage, including the bodies of at least 34 that have been confirmed dead by the Israel Defense Forces. Hamas released 105 of them during a ceasefire in November 2023, 4 hostages had been released before then. 8 hostages have been rescued alive by the IDF, which has also recovered the bodies of 38 hostages, including 3 mistakenly killed by the military as they attempted to escape the terrorists.
