8 Nobel laureates signed the report and added a call to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Red Cross and the head of the World Health Organization: Act for their immediate release and the transfer of medicines and medical assistance to the abductees!
Three months have passed since the October 7 massacre, during which more than 240 people were brutally kidnapped from their homes and a music festival in southern Israel to the Gaza Strip. Now, as we approach the 100th anniversary of Black Sabbath and their abduction, the Headquarters for the Families of the Abductees and Missing is publishing a comprehensive medical report on the health risks of the abductees held captive by Hamas.
Demonstration of the hostage headquarters in front of the president's residence | Yoni Rikner
Many abductees were abducted from their homes without vision, hearing, or mobility aids, worsening their health and mental well-being. Other abductees suffer from mental health problems, and others were injured during the brutal abduction and have not yet received adequate treatment for injuries that could worsen and become complicated. Some of the abductees suffer from illnesses related to the harsh conditions of captivity, including mental and physical torture.
These populations are considered in need of protection and special treatment under international humanitarian law because of their increased vulnerability to severe physical and mental harm, which may be irreversible at best and lead to death at worst, if urgent medical treatment is not provided immediately.
In the now-published report, there are examples of 38 abductees detailing their specific medical needs and health conditions at the time of their abduction.
Red Cross jeep en en route to Egypt (archive), photo: Reuters
8 Nobel Prize winners appealed to the UN Secretary-General, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the head of the World Health Organization to immediately release the abductees and to transfer medicines and medical aid. In the letter, Nobel Prize winners invited the three to visit Israel and the communities near the Gaza Strip in order to see firsthand the destruction and atrocities inflicted by Hamas terrorists, and to meet with the families of the abductees and the survivors of captivity who were released.
In their appeal, the winners wrote: "As Nobel Laureates, we express deep concern for the abductees held in Gaza and call for action to ensure medical treatment for all abductees. We find ourselves forced to speak out against the backdrop of the danger to the lives of innocent people held captive, families torn apart, and communities coping with the harsh realities of war. We insist on making the voice of reason heard, and call on you, as leaders, to take action to promote the release of all hostages as a vital step towards a ceasefire and preventing further bloodshed."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, photo: AFP
The medical system of the Family Headquarters for the Return of Abductees and Missing Persons collected data on the medical background of the abductees through interviews with family members and review of medical files provided by the families. Additional data were collected from testimonies of survivors of captivity. This report focuses on the health effects on the remaining abductees, the risks to their physical and mental health, and the treatment they received in captivity, as detailed in the survivors' testimonies.
The possible consequences of these acts of violence are life-threatening
Prof. Hagai Levin, Head of the Medical Department of the Abductees' Families Headquarters: "All the abductees are in immediate mortal danger. Some of the abductees will not survive 100 days in captivity without proper medical treatment, due to the conditions of captivity and neglect of their health. The abductees were abandoned on October <>. We as a nation that desires life must not abandon abductees on the ground. We have to save them, now."
This report joins previous reports published by the Bureau on the health risks to abductees, and adds new information received from survivors and families of abductees.
The abductees' headquarters said: "We urgently call for the immediate release of all the abductees in order to protect and preserve the basic human rights to which they are entitled and so that they can receive the essential medical and mental treatment they need to recover from the profound physical and emotional consequences of the severe injury they have suffered. Every day in captivity endangers their lives and health. They are in critical condition and should be released now for humanitarian reasons."
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