Former Gaza hostages Eitan Horn and Nimrod Cohen were discharged from Ichilov Hospital on Thursday after medical staff determined that they were stable and ready to continue their recovery at home.
Many of the additional hostages are expected to be released in the coming days. They will continue to receive care in their own communities while attending periodic checkups at the hospitals where they were treated.
Daily blood tests show improvement in the nutritional parameters of most of the released hostages, with gradual progress through nutrition stages tailored to each person’s condition. Medical staff noted that the hostages are already eating a varied diet that includes their favorite foods brought by family members, along with sweets and desserts.
Recovery to take time
However, doctors have emphasized that complete recovery will take a long time. Many of the hostages suffer from severe vitamin D deficiency caused by prolonged confinement in total darkness in Hamas tunnels, as well as low iron levels resulting from extended starvation.
It is estimated that several months will be needed for their levels to return to normal, with supplemental treatments including injections, nutritional supplements, and close monitoring by clinical nutrition specialists.
Meanwhile, the hostages have also begun physical rehabilitation, and dedicated treatment frameworks have been established at all the hospitals where they are staying.
At Rabin Medical Center - Beilinson Campus, a special rehabilitation ward has been set up with a private physiotherapy room exclusively for the hostages. There, they perform daily exercises to strengthen muscles, improve posture, and expand their range of motion. Some suffer from muscle weakness caused by prolonged sitting in captivity, prolonged restraints, or physical injuries, mostly in the upper limbs.
Each released hostage receives individualized physiotherapy combining breathing, movement, and standing exercises, along with muscle rebuilding techniques. Later this week, patients will begin occupational therapy, aimed at helping them regain basic daily functions such as gripping, writing, and driving.
In parallel with physical treatments, psychological support continues. The former hostages and their families meet daily with psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers to help them process the trauma of captivity and the sudden transition back to life outside the tunnels. Staff members have reported that some of the returnees have begun sharing initial testimonies, though many still struggle with deep emotional distress and mental exhaustion.
Most of the hostages are now in good condition and show daily functional improvement.
Some are expected to be discharged in the coming days and, depending on their preference, will either stay at Kfar Maccabiah Hotel as part of a designated rehabilitation program where they can remain with family indefinitely, or return home.