Some of the hostages released from Gaza so far during the ceasefire had been held in Hamas tunnels for up to eight months straight, deprived of daylight and with little to no human contact, an Israeli general said on Monday.
Three Israeli civilians and four soldiers – all women – have been released so far in the ceasefire, which began on January 19th. In return, Israel has released 290 Palestinian convicts and detainees.
“Some of them told us that they’ve been in the past few months, that they’ve been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground,” deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps, Col Dr Avi Banov, told journalists online.
“Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there,” he said. “Those who said they were together were in better shape.”
The Israeli military oversees the first health checks that the hostages receive upon their arrival in Israeli territory. Reuters was unable to reach Hamas’s armed wing for comment but it said on Saturday that it maintains hostages’ wellbeing.
The hostages said their treatment improved in the days leading up to their release, Col Banov said, when they were allowed to shower, change their clothes and received better food. They appeared to be in good condition and smiling in videos on the days of their release.
Citing the hostages’ privacy, Col Banov would not say whether any of the seven bore signs of torture or abuse.
Some had not received proper treatment for wounds sustained when they were captured during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, and some showed signs of “mild starvation”, Col Banov said.
The three civilians, released on the first day of the ceasefire, were discharged from hospital on Sunday. The four soldiers, freed in the ceasefire's second swap on Saturday, were still being treated in another medical centre.
Eitan Gonen, father of 24-year-old Romi Gonen who was released on January 19th, told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan: “Romi is amazing. We met a mature, amazing woman who stunned us all.”
Mr Gonen would not elaborate on her medical condition or details of her ordeal. But he said that while in captivity she had heard some of the radio interviews he had given.
“Even if only 10 per cen of the interviews reach the hostages’ ears, it is enough to give them strength,” he said. “It gave her a lot of strength, energy and great hope.”
More than 250 hostages were abducted in the in the October 2023 attack. About half were released the following month during the war’s only previous truce, and others have been recovered dead or alive during the fighting. Israel still lists 90 captives in Gaza, with about 30 declared dead in absentia.
Twenty-six women, children, elderly, ill or injured hostages are still due to be released in the six-week first phase of the ceasefire. Hamas provided a list late on Sunday detailing their condition. – Reuters
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