Israel details sexual violence, torture suffered in Hamas captivity
The severe beatings, brandings, sexual violence, food and water deprivation, hair-pulling, and isolation will have far-reaching consequences for survivors, Israel's Health Ministry reported
Israel's Health Ministry detailed the sexual violence and torture suffered by hostages in Hamas captivity, including by children, in a report sent last week to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Alice J. Edwards.
The treatment by captors included severe beatings, branding, sexual violence, food and water deprivation, hair-pulling, and isolation.
Hostages wounded on October 7, 2023, during the terrorist onslaught, did not receive proper medical treatment – and if they did receive medical attention, they were treated without anesthesia.
Pre-existing medical conditions were not treated, with at least one captive dying and several others requiring immediate emergency medical care after returning to Israel during last year's ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Half of those who returned were starved, according to the medical data. When they returned, some displayed signs of captors overfeeding to improve the hostages' appearance and weight before being returned.
From the moment the hostages were taken into the Gaza Strip – having witnessed the terrible violence and death of their friends and families as well as the destruction of their homes in southern Israel during the massacre – "they endured beatings, humiliation, and verbal, physical, and sexual violence during the journey."
Two of the children who returned reported being tied together, and two others had signs of branding that witnesses who returned said were intentionally inflicted.
One of those who came back reported being sexually assaulted at gunpoint, while others were forced to undress while being watched.
Besides forced separation from their families, lack of movement, and arbitrary transfers, the hostages also witnessed other captives being murdered in front of their eyes.
The conditions they were held in have caused a slew of psychological consequences, the report said.
Some reportedly suffer from "survivor's guilt," are reticent to speak about their experiences out of fear of reprisal on those still held in captivity, and even desire to return to captivity to help those still held by the terrorists.
Many of those who returned had no homes to come back to, as their communities are still in rubble. Some had little or no appetite after coming back, while others overate, despite knowing this was irrational, out of fear that they would not have anything to eat the next day.