Israel denounces torture, hunger and humiliation suffered by Hamas hostages
The Israeli Ministry of Health delivered to the United Nations (UN) a report on the medical conditions of the captives of the Hamas group already released, in which it describes that they were subjected to torture, physical and psychological abuse.
“The report we are presenting to the UN is a heartbreaking testimony of the brutal experiences suffered by hostages held captive by Hamas: cruel violence, psychological abuse, physical torment and acts that defy understanding,” said Health Minister Uriel Busso. , through a statement sent on Saturday night.
The report includes the testimony of 105 captives, who were released in November 2023, after the only truce between the Government of Israel and the Islamist militia Hamas, since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7 of that year. , and 12 others, four freed by the Gazan militia and eight rescued alive by the Israeli Army.
The hostages who returned to Israel, the document details, reported that their captors denied them water, food, anesthesia, and medical assistance to those who were injured, and upon their return they presented symptoms of malnutrition and vitamin D deficiency, due to spending weeks in underground tunnels. In addition, children, young people and adults claimed that they were burned, beaten and humiliated, and that such abuse affected their mental and physical health, even long after they were released.
Busso indicated that with this report he urges the international community to “use all available means to end the cruelty and bring the hostages home immediately. It is a moral and humanitarian imperative; “Time to act is running out.”
Almost 15 months after the start of the war, 96 kidnapped people remain in the Gaza Strip, including the bodies of at least 34 dead confirmed by the Army.
The Forum of Families of Kidnapped and Disappeared Persons noted, for its part, that the Ministry of Health report is “a devastating reminder” of the urgency of bringing the hostages back. “The shocking testimonies of the freed hostages reflect a devastating reality: for more than 50 atrocious days, physical abuse, psychological torment and dehumanizing conditions were inflicted on people,” said the organization, which brings together relatives of those kidnapped, deceased and missing during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Therefore, they highlight that 400 more days later the hostages continue to suffer the same reality that those who were released and face “mortal danger” faced. For this reason, he urged a global agreement to ensure the immediate release of those kidnapped, demanding the collaboration of “the United States and all mediating parties.” (EFE)
