A New Medical Discipline in Israel: How to Receive Hostages
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From the first haircut to emotional support, a regularly updated guide covers what health professionals have learned about helping ex-hostages transition from captivity to freedom.
A woman recently released after more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza refused any medical tests one day at the Israeli hospital that received her.
The doctors were delighted.
“We canceled a whole day’s schedule,” said Prof. Noa Eliakim-Raz, who heads the department that receives hostages at Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv. The woman’s ability to retake control indicated progress after months at the mercy of her Hamas captors.
This was one of the small victories doctors say they have seen as dozens of freed hostages transition back to everyday life. For over a year, a team from Israel’s medical, military and social welfare systems has been updating a manual based on what it has learned about helping hostages readjust.
There were few precedents to learn from, officials said, especially as the captives ranged in age from infants to octogenarians.
“We are now writing the theory,” said Eti Kisos, a deputy director general at the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs.
About 250 people were seized during the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that set off the devastating war in Gaza. More than 100 hostages were released during a brief cease-fire that November, and Hamas returned 30 more living hostages this year before a shaky cease-fire collapsed.