It may sound like a broken record to say, but it will be necessary until it happens: The hostages have to come home.
Not only that – the hostages must come home so they can begin to heal. Those who are still alive are living in “inhumane conditions, including physical, emotional, and psychological torture,” reads a draft report by the Health Ministry, which was published on Thursday.
The report is currently nearly completed. Next, it will go to the Justice Ministry for final touches before it is submitted to the United Nations to be presented at a committee meeting that deals with torture.
Carefully worded so that returned hostages are not identifiable to the public to preserve their privacy, the report is based on the testimonies of those released in the November 2023 deal and on information gathered during military operations.
The testimonies don’t leave room to doubt that the conditions in which the captives were and are being held are life-threatening and torturous. They experience starvation; they lack oxygen and clean water; they undergo violent abuse, and their wounds go untreated. All these contribute significantly to weight loss, muscle degeneration, and an inability for basic bodily systems to function.
According to the report, these subpar health and sanitary conditions raise the likelihood of infectious diseases, cause respiratory issues, and prevent existing wounds from healing.
The winter season only exacerbates this, exposing the hostages to even greater health risks, as they are not being protected from the cold, which exposes them to hypothermia, frostbite, and heart arrhythmia.
Hostages said they spent days on end in the dark, tied up, receiving little food. They were beaten all over. Their hair was torn out. Some were struck with hot metal objects. Others spoke of the lack of showers and the inhumane sanitary conditions.
And these are only the physical dangers. Psychologically, they are spiraling due to their loneliness, the constant threat to their lives, and the daily psychological terror they are forced to endure. These psychological injuries inflicted by the captors on the hostages lead to post-traumatic stress disorders and can even result in suicidal thoughts, said the report.
The fact that returned hostages, hostage families, and many members of the public continue to fight tooth and nail for a complete deal is not just about a moral imperative; it is so the hell that they know the hostages are going through ends.
That survivors still have the strength to wake up, day after day, reliving what they went through and continuing on with their lives, is almost incomprehensible. The fact that the issue of the hostages has taken a political, sectorial color is nothing short of horrid. What about the value of a mutual guarantee for life? What about leaving no one behind?
The passing of Hannah Katzir
On Tuesday, Kibbutz Nir Oz announced that returned hostage Hannah Katzir passed away. She was 76. Her husband, Rami, was killed in the October 7 massacre, and her son, Elad, was killed in captivity. His body was recovered in April.
She was described by friends and family as having a “huge heart” and always giving to others. Her daughter, Carmit Palty Katzir, poignantly said, “Her heart couldn’t withstand the unbearable pain since October 7. Each day our loved ones remain in captivity puts their lives at greater risk. We must act now to secure a comprehensive agreement to bring back all 100.”
Katzir got out, but she deserved better. They all did and do.
Bringing the hostages home should not be a playing card in this war. Even if Hamas is destroyed beyond repair and the Iranian axis is dismembered, the war cannot ever be considered “won” if all the hostages are not returned.
The faith and trust that Israelis have in their country, in what it could be and in the fight for its future, will not be restored if the hostages aren’t returned.
This Hanukkah is the second that some hostages are experiencing in captivity, and as the families grow weary and tired, and time does its thing and creates distance, we must remember daily and not forget: We owe it to our brothers and sisters to bring them home, now. Their candle isn’t out yet.
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