“The challenges that survivors and their families have faced over the past year highlight the critical need for comprehensive, long-term support,” Professor Hagai Levin, head of the Health Team for the Hostage Families Forum, told the Jerusalem Post.
By Rachel Avraham
It was recently announced that a hostage deal was formulated that will lead to all of the hostages coming home. Arutz Sheva reported Hamas will first release the living hostages and then the bodies of the deceased hostages. According to the report, Israel will release 30 terrorists for every civilian hostage and 50 for every female Israeli soldier. The question remains, when the hostages come home, what are their psychological needs?
The head of the Social Work Department at the public hospital Assuta Ashdod, Nurit Tamsot, explained to I24 the main challenges expected for the abductees, such as “re-adjusting to life in society, renewing relationships with family and friends, and difficult memories that may arise.” She detailed signs that might indicate mental distress among the returnees. “Extreme mood states, seclusion, avoiding social connections, and physical symptoms such as pain without a clear reason” could be signs of distress, she said.
“The treatments will include individual psychotherapy, group therapy for trauma processing,” Tamsot told I24. “Kidnapped children may express trauma in different ways, such as aggressive behavior, heightened fears, or withdrawal, and it is important to create a supportive environment for them and incorporate them into therapeutic games.”
“The health system and the state, as it did with the return of those who have already returned, will establish dedicated teams of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers who will focus on emotional and physical response,” she noted.
The Jerusalem Post revealed that a medical report by the health team of the Hostage Families Forum paints a grim picture on both the physical and mental health of the hostages that are returning to Israel. Many of the hostages that have been released so far suffer from severe malnutrition, untreated injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder and even complex post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the report, many of the hostages suffer from intrusive thoughts, nightmares, hypervigilance, emotional numbness, and avoidance behaviors. Many of them feel like they are “still in Gaza” and struggle to re-adapt themselves to life in Israel.
A recent report from the Israeli Ministry of Health even paints a grimmer picture: “Women, men, and children who returned from captivity reported that they endured severe physical and sexual abuse, such as beatings, isolation, deprivation of food and water, branding, hair-pulling, and sexual assault. Additionally, some of them reported that the captors sexually assaulted them or forced them to undress.”
They continued: “The abduction of children, women, men, and the elderly from their homes is a traumatic event, often occurring after the murder of family members or close friends. In some cases, children were taken without their parents or after their parents’ murder. The terrorists caused widespread destruction, with hostages witnessing their homes burning, acts of rape and looting which took place in their communities. The captives were transported to Gaza in open vehicles, often alongside the bodies of those murdered. They endured beatings, humiliation, and verbal, physical, and sexual violence during the journey.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health added, “Their time in captivity was marked by intense trauma: family separation, immobilization, arbitrary and frequent transfers, and exposure to further violence. Some captives witnessed the killing of other captives, further deepening their sense of helplessness and hopelessness.”
According to them, “In captivity, the hostages were often subjected to solitary confinement, poor sanitation, severe medical neglect, lack of sleep, starvation, sexual abuse, violence, threats, and brainwashing through media designed to break their spirit and make them submissive. Medical and psychosocial teams who treated the returned hostages report severe consequences for their health and well-being. Many exhibited sharp mood swings, with some showing signs of hypomania upon return, followed by extreme depression only a few hours afterwards. Even those who appeared strong initially showed difficulties adjusting to reality, sometimes experiencing dissociative episodes.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health report added that some of the former hostages feared talking about their experience with therapists, fearing that it would lead to retribution against their loved ones still held in Gaza. They emphasized that such an attitude was a major impediment in these hostages psychological treatment: “Many returned hostages experience fear, restlessness, emotional detachment, and confusion. Some were afraid to leave their rooms, even in the hospital’s protected areas. They struggled to let go of behaviors from captivity, like barely eating and neglecting hygiene. Others hoarded food, fearing they would not have enough for the next day, despite knowing this was irrational.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health noted that even after liberation, the former hostages are still living a nightmare: “Most returned hostages had no home to return to and learned upon their arrival in Israel of the deaths of family and friends, the destruction of their homes, and the collapse of their communities. Many found themselves without the support they once had, which has significantly hindered their recovery and rehabilitation.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health believes that the returning hostages will require significant psychological support and treatment tailored for them in order to be successfully re-integrated into the community. “The challenges that survivors and their families have faced over the past year highlight the critical need for comprehensive, long-term support,” Professor Hagai Levin, head of the Health Team for the Hostage Families Forum, told the Jerusalem Post. “A national rehabilitation program based on a coordinated, multi-systemic, and flexible approach is essential to ensuring the long-term well-being of the survivors and their families.
