Doctors who treated freed Israeli hostages seized by Hamas in October have revealed the health status of their deportees.
Twenty-six hostages have been released from an Israeli hospital, many of whom were malnourished after surviving on a diet consisting mainly of white bread, a new study says.
Blood tests also showed they had been exposed to a variety of diseases, including typhus and spotted fever, during their 50 days in captivity.
Many of them also suffered from lice due to poor hygiene conditions, including a lack of running water. Others had shrapnel wounds that had been left untreated for so long that they could not be surgically removed.
Doctors also observed severe psychological trauma, particularly in young children who had been torn from their homes or forced to witness the killing of loved ones.
Doctors at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Israel called it an “appalling situation” and acknowledged that the true traumatic cost of war and captivity will continue to unfold for years to come.
A newly released hostage is pictured being handed over to the Red Cross in Rafah. She was one of 250 people who were captured.
Newly released hostages Shiri Weiss and her daughter Noga (left to right) approach a Red Cross vehicle in November 2023
Pediatricians, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists and emergency doctors began treating the 26 women and children after they were released during a temporary ceasefire reached last year in November and December.
Their vital signs upon arrival at the hospital were normal, but closer examination revealed a number of problems that reflected the conditions in which they were forced to live.
Doctors said: ‘The high rate of diarrhoea in our cohort can be explained by poor sanitary conditions, overcrowding and lack of running water in captivity.
“The observation that some asymptomatic patients tested positive in stool PCR tests for several pathogens also supports poor hygiene. Furthermore, the extremely severe lice infestation in our cohort also highlights the poor hygiene conditions in which the hostages were held.”
Six of the 26 people taken to hospital had lice and required multiple treatments and haircuts to get rid of them.
Eight people (three women and five children) suffered shrapnel wounds to the limbs, chest and pelvis.
The experts who treated their injuries decided that since so much time had passed since they were injured, surgery to remove the shrapnel would not be advisable.
By 50 days in captivity, 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 International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza last November.
Additionally, 15 of the 26 hostages showed significant weight loss and reported having extremely limited food during their captivity: “The diet was based on rice and white bread, 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, whose ages ranged from 34 to 78, lost between 7.5 and 14 percent of their body weight.
Nineteen children between the ages of two and eighteen were taken. Eight of them lost between five and eleven percent of their body weight.
The doctors, whose report was published in the journal Pediatric ActaThey added that children who were in captivity with their families showed minimal weight loss.
Six patients, including five children, were covered in 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 had only sporadic access to an inhaler.
Three people also suffered widespread muscle pain and subsequent tests showed elevated levels of an enzyme indicating muscle damage, although doctors did not give further details.
Twelve-year-old Eitan Yahalomi is pictured just after being reunited with his mother in November 2023.
Another patient suffered a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, although no permanent damage was done to the abdominal organs. The resulting infection was treated in captivity with topical medications.
In most cases, the extent of the hostages’ psychological trauma could not be appreciated, although certain behaviours linked to their traumatic experience were manifested in young children.
Children under the age of seven “showed a pattern of submissive behavior,” which typically manifested as low posture, avoiding eye contact and speaking in a low voice.
Three little boys appeared to be saving their food for later.
One patient, a young girl who had been separated from her family and kept in isolation for 10 days, “experienced episodes of unprovoked crying during her stay in our unit.”
Doctors added: ‘One woman who had a previous diagnosis of mild anxiety disorder experienced exacerbations during captivity and reported taking short-acting benzodiazepines on an irregular basis during captivity.
‘Another adult woman expressed feelings suggestive of Stockholm syndrome.’
US officials estimate that less than half Of the 115 remaining hostages in Gaza, most have so far survived the fighting there, and both Israel and Hamas have raised obstacles to reaching a deal to release them.
Doctors seemed to understand that they would likely face another influx of hostages requiring medical attention if the remaining hostages were released.
They said: “The insights gained from this report could potentially offer assistance in other scenarios involving people returning from captivity, such as kidnapping and related circumstances.”