Sex abuse, dehumanization: Health Ministry report to Red Cross details accounts of freed hostages

Reporter at The Times of Israel

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, former hostages and supporters hold a press conference in Tel Aviv, on August 9, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, former hostages and supporters hold a press conference in Tel Aviv, on August 9, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

A report published by the Health Ministry that will be forwarded to the president of the Red Cross reveals the physical and mental damage suffered by 12 of the hostages who were freed at the beginning of this year, including accounts of ongoing sexual harassment, dehumanization and life-altering injuries.

The report (Hebrew link) paints a harrowing picture of severe patterns of abuse, medical neglect and subhuman conditions that constitute torture and serious violations of international humanitarian law.

The ministry calls for the immediate provision of food, water and medical treatment to the abductees who are still in captivity.

An analysis of the medical condition of the hostages still being held captive shows that they are “in immediate danger, and every additional day there increases the risk of irreversible damage to their physical and mental health.”

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