After almost 100 days of being held in Gaza, a new medical report by the headquarters of the families of the abductees published today (Tuesday) states that all the abductees are in real and immediate danger to their lives after three months in captivity.
The published medical report is comprehensive and inclusive on the health risks of the abductees in Hamas captivity.
According to the data, many abductees were abducted from their homes without visual, hearing or mobility aids, which worsens their health and mental well-being. Other abductees suffer from mental problems, and others were injured during the brutal kidnapping and have not yet received adequate treatment for injuries that could worsen and become complicated.
Some of the abductees suffer from illnesses related to the harsh conditions of captivity, which include mental and physical torture. These populations are considered in need of protection and special treatments according to international humanitarian law, due to their increased vulnerability to serious physical and mental damage, which may be irreversible in the best case and lead to death in the worst case, if urgent medical treatment is not provided immediately.
In the report that has now been published, examples of 38 abductees can be found detailing their specific medical needs and their state of health at the time of their abduction.
"They will not survive 100 days in captivity without appropriate medical treatment"
The medical system of the Forum for the Families of Hostages and the Missing collected data on the medical background of the abductees through interviews with family members and a review of medical files provided by the families. Additional data was collected from testimonies of survivors of captivity.
This report focuses on the health consequences for the remaining abductees, the risks to their physical and mental health and the treatment they received in captivity, as detailed in the testimonies of the survivors. The possible consequences of these acts of violence are life-threatening.
Prof. Hagai Levin, head of the medical system of the headquarters of the families of the abductees: "All the abductees are in immediate danger. Some of the abductees will not survive 100 days in captivity without appropriate medical treatment, due to the conditions of captivity and the neglect of their health. The abductees were abandoned on the seventh of October. We as a nation must not abandon abductees in the field. We must save them, now. This report joins previous reports published by the headquarters on the health risks for the abductees, and adds new information received from the survivors, and the families of the abductees."
Nobel Prize winners call on the UN Secretary General and the Red Cross: Act for their immediate release
At the same time, efforts to release them also continue in the international arena. 8 Nobel Prize winners appealed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, the president of the International Red Cross and the head of the World Health Organization, calling for the immediate release of the abductees and for the transfer of medicine and medical aid.
In the letter, the Nobel Prize winners invited the three to visit Israel and the communities around Gaza in order to see first hand the destruction and horrors perpetrated by Hamas terrorists, as well as to meet with the families of the abductees and the survivors of the captivity who were released.
In their address, the winners wrote, "As Nobel laureates, we express deep concern for the abductees held in Gaza and call for actions to be taken to ensure medical care for all the abductees. We find ourselves forced to raise our voices against the backdrop of the danger to the lives of innocents held captive, families being torn apart and communities facing the harsh reality of the war. We insist on sounding the voice of reason, and call on you, as leaders, to take actions to promote the release of all hostages as an essential step towards a ceasefire and preventing further bloodshed."