Israel to send UN report on torture, enslavement, sexual abuse of hostages

The report also focuses on their difficulties in returning to normal life after being freed.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Israel is sending a report to the United Nations soon detailing the torture and sex abuse the hostages underwent at the hands of their terrorist captors in Gaza, as well as its ongoing consequences, Channel 12 reported Thursday.

Doctors and psychologists from the Ministries of Health and Welfare and Social Affairs authored the report after collecting testimonies from children and adults who were brutally abducted on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre, and released some two months later in a hostage deal.

There was both physical and psychological torture, and the age of the hostages made no difference to the terrorists.

The report details how many children were purposely separated from their parents.

The captives were forced to watch footage of the terrorists slaughtering people during their rampage through Gaza-border communities, and they witnessed fellow hostages dying in front of their eyes.

Some were branded on their legs with a hot iron so they would be easily spotted if they managed to escape. They were constantly threatened with violence if they spoke aloud, and the threats were carried out.

Both children and adults suffered repeated sexual abuse. Some female captives also became slaves to their captors, forced to cook and clean for their families.

They were tied hand and foot for long periods of time and were deliberately starved, often receiving only one small meal a day.

Among the adults, some underwent surgery or painful procedures for the wounds sustained during their capture – without anesthetic. Others were forced to defecate on themselves instead of being allowed to use the bathroom.

The second part of the report deals with the difficult aftermath of their experiences.

Some continue to suffer from acute trauma and panic attacks and have difficulty leaving their homes or speaking in a regular tone of voice.

They complain of having severe pains that have no medical explanation.

Children can’t sleep by themselves and exhibit great trauma related to food – hiding it, avoiding eating, or going to the other extreme and massively overeating.

Many have yet to return to their normal lives, whether going to school or to work.

All the doctors and psychologists that the media outlet contacted said that without exception, the hostages say that they cannot fully acclimate to their freedom knowing that there are still hostages left in the terror tunnels of Gaza, suffering still as they had more than a year later.

Out of the 100 still held captive, 34 are known to be dead, but most expect that at best, perhaps 50 are still alive, with many saying that the number is likely much lower.