Abductees were starved and dehydrated, beaten, threatened with weapons, psychologically tortured, mutilated, sexually abused, and denied crucial medical treatment for wounds and serious conditions.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
A report on the 112 released hostages details severe mistreatment during their time in captivity with disturbing implications concerning those who are still held in Gaza.
According to the report, the abductees were starved and dehydrated, beaten, threatened with weapons, psychologically tortured, mutilated, sexually abused, and denied crucial medical treatment for wounds and serious conditions.
Many hostages were intentionally separated from family members, and some were kept in complete isolation in dark tunnels with inadequate ventilation and light.
The children were threatened with weapons and forced to be quiet to the point where many of the released children still speak in hushed tones.
Other children were forced to watch videos of the October 7th atrocities.
The report also “provided evidence that revealed that both men and women suffered violent sexual assaults in captivity.”
In addition to the emotional trauma, the sexual assaults resulted in physical injury and increased the risk of infections such as HIV.
Food and water were provided in insufficient portions, with only two small servings of rice or pita and a small bottle of sandy or salty water daily.
Many of the hostages had lost 10 to 17% of their body weight.
Also concerning are reports of mutilation and disfigurement and inadequate treatment of those who had sustained wounds during their capture.
Many hostages arrived with gunshot wounds other open wounds and amputated limbs, and veterinary surgeons operated on some.
Of the remaining 137 hostages, one-third suffer from conditions that require medication and ongoing treatment which is being denied to them.
These diseases include diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, skin diseases, Addison’s disease, recurrent urinary tract infections, hypothyroidism, heart disease, epilepsy, hypertension, cancer and more.
A number of hostages were diagnosed with psychological conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD before they were captured.