“Second-degree” family members of hostages – aunts, uncles, grandparents, and nieces and nephews – are not eligible for psychological and mental help because they are not recognized as victims of terror, the Knesset Health Committee revealed on Monday.
During the hearing, a government representative enumerated how the state has provided aid so far.Representative Yael Goren said that “every family has a designated human resources officer responsible for providing them with what they need, including any new information. Since the start of the war, the government has sent representatives to the families, who respond to requests.”
As she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Nissan Kalderon. Kalderon is the brother of Ofer Kalderon, 53, who was kidnapped by Hamas to Gaza along with his children, Sahar, 16, and Erez, 12. Sahar and Erez were both released during the pause in fighting and hostage deal in November; Ofer remains in Gaza.
“For 150 days, not a single government representative has spoken to me. Two weeks ago, I threatened to commit suicide – do you know why? I can’t breathe. I need to keep my wife, nieces and nephews, and the rest of my family operating every day; I can’t even take care of myself!
“I sat in my bomb shelter for 34 hours while terrorists paraded outside my home, so stop with the lies! You should have called me to see what I needed!”
Mishraki's promise for fast-tracked treatment
Committee chairman Yonatan Mishraki promised to address the issue and green-light a fast-tracked option for treatment for these family members, including physical and psychological help, making the treatment accessible, and minimizing wait times and bureaucracy.
Mishraki added that the data on their situation in the survey by Maccabi Healthcare Services and the hostage families’ headquarters are “shocking.”
He also asked the administration to make proactive contact once a week with the members of the families of the abductees who did not express a willingness to receive psychological assistance and to offer them such help.
Prof. Hagai Levine, who provides medical advice to the families group as a volunteer, emphasized the stress and mental suffering and the immediate and long-term direct damage to the physical and mental health of the family members.
“They suffer from absolute and continuous uncertainty, resulting in mental stress that severely damages their physical and mental health,” Levine said, calling for the appointment of a nurse liaison for general medical services and expressing concern for the distant relatives as well.
According to the head of Maccabi’s health division, Dr. Eran Rotman, the survey included the families and the volunteers accompanying them. About 80% of the female members of the families of the abductees reported a change for the worse in the perception of their health status – twice as much compared to the general population.
A fifth reported that since October 7, they had lost a significant amount of weight, ten times more than the general population. There was a more than a two-fold increase in reporting the use of drugs to treat depression or anxiety, and 93% of the abductees’ families testified that their sleep was disturbed, and 14% reported taking sleeping pills.
Half of the families said they sought mental health care, and 29% reported that they did not – but they feel they need such care. There was also a more than two-fold increase in the use of drugs to treat depression or anxiety (from 8% to 19%).
He added that Maccabi’s survey described a difficult situation that the families of the abductees face every day.“Our mission and duty is to accompany, support, and assist them as much as possible, to try to alleviate even a little of their suffering. Maccabi stands by the families of the abductees all the time and provides them, as well as the Israelis who returned from captivity, with full medical care, physically and mentally.”
Maccabi vice president Shir Cohen stressed that “150 unimaginable days have passed in which your dear ones are not here with us. Our hearts are with you, and as a health maintenance organization, we will do everything in our power to help the families even a little. It is a duty and the order of the day to wrap up the families and help them in every possible way to take care of them.”
Leah Yanai, whose sister was abducted and released, testified that her family does not receive mental health care or support for loss of income.
Chen Avigdori, whose wife and daughter were in captivity and were released, told of an increase in the consumption of psychiatric drugs and drugs and loss of work capacity and called for an exemption from a waiting list for mental disability testing for abductees.
Sharon Rothschild, the representative of the Health Ministry’s Mental Health Division, promised that the relatives of Hamas prisoners would receive a very broad response and much more help.
Meanwhile, National Insurance Institute (NII) figures for the number of dead and wounded after the October 7 disaster and those killed and wounded in the North were released 150 days after the war started. The number of dead has risen to 806 civilians and there are almost 62,000 victims of terror with physical or psychological wounds.
There were 38 dead and 20,000 under the age of 18 who suffered as a result of terror; three aged 0-to-3-year-olds who were killed; four aged three to six years who were killed; 10 aged six to 14 who were killed; 21 aged between 14 and 18 who were killed; and 768 civilians killed over the age of 18.
Almost 62,000 civilian victims of hostilities are being treated by the NII, including 3,557 victims aged zero to three; 3,726 ages three to six; 8,659 between six and 14; 3,586 between 14 and 18; and 42,414 from 18 and above. The victims of hostility and terrorism include those who have suffered psychological and/or physical harm or both.
The NII noted that following Monday’s incident in the North, “the numbers of wounded are expected to rise in the coming days.”