The lives of the remaining living hostages in Gaza captivity are under immediate threat due to physical and mental torture perpetrated by their Hamas captors, a grim report released by the Health Ministry found on Tuesday.
The report, based on the condition of 12 former hostages freed earlier in 2025 as part of a ceasefire and hostage release deal carried out between January 19 and February 7, paints a horrifying image of systematic starvation, severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the ingestion of contaminated water, and physical injuries, as well as skin diseases and respiratory illnesses, left untreated.
The report asserted that the lives of hostages who are still being held are in immediate danger, with each additional day in captivity increasing the irreversible damage caused to their health. The report, compiled with the consent of the released hostages and carried out by the ministry’s Medical Directorate, included a review of their medical files, as well as conversations held with medical teams who treated them upon their return from captivity.
Mental abuse, severe beatings, and systematic starvation
The captives experienced severe physical trauma as early as during their kidnapping during the October 7 massacre in 2023, including gunshot and shrapnel wounds and severe beatings by Palestinian mobs. As per the report, many were handcuffed for long periods to the point of losing consciousness, and were denied basic necessities.
In the few cases where treatment was provided, it was partial and incorrect, with hostages given fever-reducing pills instead of antibiotics and other inappropriate drug treatments that worsened their respective conditions. One freed hostage reported that they lost consciousness after being forced to treat their own orthopedic injury.
The mental trauma inflicted by Hamas terrorists was just as severe, with some being forced to witness the murder of family members and friends, with some saying information on their loved ones was weaponized as a manipulative tool on the part of their captors.
Throughout their captivity, the ex-hostages reported being held in underground tunnels less than a meter and a half high. In some cases, up to six hostages were held in a space confined to about two sq. m., causing extreme overcrowding. Conversely, some hostages were left completely isolated for over a year.
The hostages’ living conditions in the tunnels, as per the report, were less than inhumane: They were only allowed to shower once every few months. In addition, captors had completely disregarded feminine hygiene needs for Israeli women taken hostage.
Furthermore, the report described the systematic starvation of hostages, who were given only one meal a day, usually amounting to pita bread and rice, which sometimes contained insects and worms.
Captives often went entire days without food, with contaminated water being provided in limited quantities. The malnourished diet had caused a body weight loss of up to 40% among the freed hostages, as well as loss of muscle mass and severe vitamin C deficiencies that caused scurvy, bleeding gums, joint pain, and slow wound healing, the report found.
Deficiencies in vitamin K and vitamin D were also found, as well as low levels of vitamin A. Some former hostages had developed decreased bone density, a condition that puts the hostages at increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
Freed hostages said that they were forced to defecate in front of other captives, and added they were under constant threat of violence in the hands of the terrorists, as well as ongoing sexual harassment.
According to the Health Ministry, the long-term consequences of such treatment include irreversible nerve damage, impairment of daily functioning, chronic pain, impaired fertility in women, hearing loss, and skeletal system damage.
Psychologically, many exhibited symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including recurring nightmares, flashbacks, and anxiety, along with a heavy sense of survivors’ guilt, as some 20 hostages remaining in Gaza are thought to be alive.
Israel's Health Ministry turns to Red Cross
Dr. Hagar Mizrachi, who heads the Health Ministry’s Medical Directorate, reacted to the report, saying that the hostages’ lives “are all in immediate danger... they are undergoing extremely severe abuse, injuries, infections, multi-systemic injuries, and severe starvation.
“Even the survivors of captivity who currently appear to be functioning well may develop post-traumatic symptoms months or even years after their release, emphasizing the need for long-term monitoring and treatment,” Mizrachi said, adding that the Health Ministry had contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has not yet visited a single hostage, with a request to intervene for the release of the remaining hostages for medical treatment and to provide them with food, water, and medicine.
“Every additional day in captivity poses an immediate danger to their lives,” she insisted.