Warning: This article includes graphic and disturbing accounts from the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
In a new report by the Israeli Ministry of Health, recently submitted to the United Nations, hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity described how they were subjected to unimaginable suffering. Among the chilling testimonies, two children revealed they were bound and beaten throughout their captivity, with scars and marks of trauma evident on their bodies. Others reported deliberate burning with heated objects, leaving permanent injuries.
Women detailed horrifying sexual violence, including assaults at gunpoint and forced undressing in front of captors. Men also endured sexual abuse, prolonged starvation, severe beatings, and torture involving branding with hot metal.
Many hostages suffered significant weight loss, with children losing up to 18% of their body weight. Unsanitary conditions led to infections, gastrointestinal illnesses, and other severe health complications. These atrocities, coupled with the systematic use of physical and psychological abuse as tools of oppression, paint a grim picture of the hostages’ ordeal.
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While some have been freed, 99 remain in captivity, still enduring these unimaginable conditions 14 months after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Among those still held is Or Levi, whose wife was murdered during the Oct. 7 attack. Or’s brother, Michael Levi, shared his anguish in an interview, describing the devastating impact of the Health Ministry’s report.
Levi expressed deep frustration with the international community, particularly the United Nations, and said he holds little hope for meaningful action after the report. “For some reason, the Israeli side is not counted as human,” he told Fox News Digital. “The U.N. ignores the fact that Hamas is committing crimes against humanity.” Levi represented the hostages’ families in a briefing to the U.N. Security Council last month. “When I addressed the Security Council, I wanted them to hear a personal story. They need to understand that there cannot be lives that are worth more than others.”
“When you see how inhumane and horrible the conditions that the hostages are in, and knowing that my brother is one of them… it kills me,” he said. “Thinking about my brother, who is almost six feet three, trying to stand up in dark, airless tunnels less than six feet tall – it’s unbearable.”
Negotiations to free the hostages are ongoing, after President-elect Trump vowed that there would be “all hell to pay” if the hostages are not released before he enters office. However, Levi’s brother Or is reportedly not “on the lists” because he is a young man and therefore not considered a “humanitarian case.” Michael explained that his brother has a 3-year-old son who, after losing his mother on Oct. 7, has only his father left. “If this is not a humanitarian case, I don’t know what is,” he said.
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Despite his frustration, Levi holds hope for a shift in approach under Trump. “I’m actually optimistic that someone will do something,” he said. “Up until now, the pressure on Hamas and their financiers, like Qatar, Turkey, and Iran, has been inadequate. President Trump’s more aggressive stance could bring results.”
“The report we are submitting to the U.N. is a harrowing testimony to the brutal experiences suffered by the hostages in Hamas captivity,” said Israel’s Health Minister Uriel Busso. “These are actions that cannot be tolerated and demand that the world wake up and take action.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations slammed the world body during a recent meeting of the U.N. Security Council for its treatment of the hostages issue. “The U.N. and the international community are trying to forget the torture and atrocities that took place on Oct. 7. We will never forget the horrors, and we will not stop until we return all the hostages.”
Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Ministry’s Medical Directorate, added, “The severe physical and mental states of the returnees offer the world a glimpse into the widespread atrocities committed by Hamas. The condition of all hostages still held in Gaza is dire. It is imperative that all efforts be made to bring them back.”
The Ministry of Health’s report is divided into two sections. The first outlines the physical and psychological abuse endured by hostages during their captivity, based on testimonies from medical teams who treated the returnees. The second section focuses on rehabilitation models designed to help returnees recover, informed by data from specialized clinics.
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Psychological abuse was equally devastating, according to the report. Hostages were isolated and forced to witness acts of violence. Survivors reported intense trauma, including dissociative episodes, severe nightmares, and an overwhelming sense of guilt for leaving loved ones behind. Many remain unable to adjust to normal life, haunted by the horrors they endured.
The report’s release has triggered mixed reactions. While it validates the survivors’ suffering, it also reopens emotional wounds for families and returnees. “The detailed documentation underscores the urgency for international intervention,” said Dr. Hagai Levin, head of the Health Team for Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
Levin emphasized the complexity of treating released hostages. “They face profound psychological challenges, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and difficulty reintegrating into daily life,” he explained. “Children often experience developmental regression and heightened anxiety. Rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary, long-term approach.”
Minister Busso’s statement to the U.N. was unequivocal: “The testimonies presented in this report serve as a wake-up call for the international community to apply increased pressure on Hamas and its supporters to free all the hostages without delay. It is a moral and humanitarian imperative, and the time to act is running out.”
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