In what has been described as the “Health report from hell”, the Israel’s Ministry of Health has compiled an evidence-packed report of the horrific conditions hostages are experiencing in Hamas captivity, and sent it to the ICRC (Red Cross) and other health organizations.
The report on the hostages was based on testimonies and medical records from 12 former hostages, four women and eight men, who told of systematic physical and psychological degradation, and in some cases ongoing sexual harassment and subhuman conditions, according to the Times of Israel. Their testimonies were corroborated by others who were held in captivity.
What they found was harrowing, but it’s important for us to understand what is happening so that we can pray with urgency.
Here are some of the details included in the report:
- Hostages reported suffering from constant diarrhea, high fevers, severe metabolic issues, lice, parasites, skin infections, and dangerous external and internal inflammation.
- There were reports of daily beatings, relentless psychological torture, chronic sexual assault, and sustained trauma.
- They survived on just one meal of half a pita bread or rice each day, and sometimes fed rotting food crawling with worms.
- Due to medical neglect and deliberate starvation, the hostages lost between 15% – 40% of their body weight and muscle mass.
- Some were forced to drink contaminated water such as untreated sewage and sea water.
- Many hostages were tightly bound for hours without regard for basic physiological needs.
- They had to go to the toilet in holes dug by captives, and sometimes in public view.
- They were largely kept in narrow tunnels barely two square meters (21 sq ft) in size and under 1.5 meters (5 ft) tall, with up to six people for extended periods.
- Several were kept in absolute isolation for over a year, and one was held alone while injured for over 50 days. This resulted in despair, sensory deprivation and in some cases, dissociation.
- Hostages could be suddenly woken in the night at gunpoint, and forced on long walks through tunnels while blindfolded.
- They slept on hard tunnel floors amid insects, exposed to constant oppressive heat or freezing cold.
- Most went months without showering or changing clothes. Showers were cold with a shared towel, and some had to wear the same underwear for 6 months.
- Psychological suffering was reported, including hallucinations from untreated pain, loss of sense of time due to psychological abuse, and nightmares and flashbacks.
“Because these diseases were not treated, they caused severe hallucinations and intense pain,” the health ministry reported. “Several hostages described severe dehydration leading to confusion and even loss of consciousness.”
Many had extensive physical injuries such as bullet wounds, shrapnel wounds, burns and untreated fractures. The freed hostages now have irreversible nerve damage resulting in chronic, sharp or burning pain, loss of function, and sensitivity to touch, or even pain taking a shower according to the Times of Israel. The women reported menstrual and hormonal changes, leading the doctors to warn there were “reasonable concerns of future fertility impacts.”
Antibiotic treatments were withheld, or the wrong one given, worsening the infection with long term damage. One hostage tried to treat an orthopedic injury on himself, but lot consciousness during the effort.
The hostages were terrorized psychologically according to the report, with captors showing them clean food or water only to deny them, or holding armed grenades and counting down. The report said they were subjected to “a systematic array of psychological torture and terror, with long-lasting trauma.”
Six months after release, the Health Ministry pointed out that the hostages’ mental health prognosis remains uncertain due to the risk of delayed-onset PTSD, noting that their trauma is expected to linger while fellow captives remain in Gaza. “As long as additional hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, the rehabilitation and social integration process for those who have returned will be harmed,” the report said.
The abuse constitutes torture and serious violations of international humanitarian law, according to the report, and the living captives were deemed to be “in immediate danger.” The report called for immediate provision of food, water and medical treatment to those still in captivity, warning that, “every additional day there increases the risk of irreversible damage to their physical and mental health.”
The Red Cross have still not visited the hostages.
Please pray with us
- Pray for the deliverance of the rest of the hostages, especially the 20 who are thought to be alive.
- Pray for those still in the tunnels — for God to sustain them mentally, emotionally, and physically.
- Pray that God brings comfort, encouragement and hope, as He did for several others according to their testimonies.
- Pray for all the families and friends of the hostages, including the hostages who have been freed and are still traumatized by the thought of those left in the tunnels. In a different way, they are also held hostage until their loved ones are released.
- Pray for great wisdom for the leaders of Israel and the IDF as they try to find ways to rescue the hostages.
- PRAY FOR MIRACLES.
Times of Israel, ‘Systematic torture and terror’: Health Ministry gives ICRC report on 12 freed hostages, August 12, 2025
