Doctors who treated Israeli hostages before they were kidnapped warn of their fragile health

Doctors who treated a number of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza before they were taken captive hold a press conference explaining many of their unique medical needs.

A number of the hostages are elderly and others have preexisting conditions or severe allergies.

Prof. Arnon Elitzur, who has treated Yagil Yaakov, a 13-year-old boy who appeared in a Palestinian Islamic Jihad propaganda video last week, says he could die if he is exposed to even a tiny amount of peanuts: “Any food he eats could be a Russian roulette of death for him.”

Another physician says that many of the elderly patients in their 80s are in crucial need of heart medication and drugs to prevent a pulmonary embolism.

Prof. Zion Hagay says it was a difficult decision to decide to break patient confidentiality and share medical details of their patients, but “we will not rest until they are released home whole and well,” noting that they are in contact with many physicians abroad to explain the situation.

Hagay says that they have no communication with medical officials in Gaza even though “they were all trained in Israel… but they are threatened by Hamas and if they contact us Hamas will view it as a betrayal, so we are careful.”