This week, released hostages participate in a hearing in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. But for others, it is too early to come forward and talk about what they witnessed and personally experienced. The majority of released hostages are elderly women as well as children and their mothers. Several of the women who have been set free tell what they witnessed during the 50 days in captivity, write The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz. – Tortured next to me One of the women is Aviva Siegel who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Azza on the day when terrorists attacked Israeli towns and villages on 7 October last year. – A young woman was accused of being an Israeli soldier. She was tortured right next to where I was sitting, says Siegel. The woman says she witnessed Hamas fighters grope younger women and that she heard about gross sexual abuse. Aviva Siegel witnessed abuse. The photo shows Aviva Siegel in a bus on the day she was released from captivity, 26 November. Photo: AMIR COHEN / Reuters The 62-year-old says that when she tried to comfort younger women who were abused, she was refused in a brusque manner. Sexual assault – A young girl came out crying from the toilet. I stood up and gave her a hug. A Hamas fighter broke in and said it was not allowed. – That “scumbag” felt bad for her and refused me to comfort her, says Aviva Sigel. Her husband, Keith Siegel, is still being held hostage by Hamas, writes Haaretz. A specialist who has treated several of the hostages who have been set free told the Associated Press news agency that he has treated at least ten women and men who were sexually abused in captivity. They currently do not want their identity to be known. 17-year-old Agam Goldstein is among the lucky ones who have been set free, writes The Jerusalem Post. 17-year-old Agam Goldstein. Photo: RONEN ZVULUN / Reuters But what she witnessed has left its mark. – Many of the girls were exposed to gross sexual abuse. Even complex wounds and injuries were not treated. We bandaged each other, she says. After the 17-year-old was moved from a building to a tunnel, she again witnessed abuse. – Suddenly a door opened. We understood that there were six girls who had been left to fend for themselves. They had clear signs of having been subjected to sexual abuse. She thinks of those who haven’t made it out. – I can’t imagine what kind of condition they are in now. What kind of hope are they clinging to? she asks rhetorically. On the day Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, she witnessed her father being killed. She and her mother were kidnapped. – Dad shouted no, no, no when he was shot and fell over in the corner of our shelter. We were forced out and had to step over dad’s dead body without being able to say a proper goodbye, says the 17-year-old. Rifles against children’s heads Children were also tortured, CNN wrote before the New Year. The broadcaster refers to psychological torture. An example is 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi. Among other things, he was forced to watch a video from the terrorist attack against Israeli civilians on 7 October. Hamas fighters held a rifle to his head to threaten him not to cry or shout. – Hamas told children that their whole family was dead, that no one wanted them back, they scared the children, says Deborah Cohen, who is Ethan’s aunt, to CNN. Trauma expert shocked Renana Eitan has 20 years’ experience in treating patients with severe trauma. She tells France 24 that she is shocked by what she has seen with the released hostages. Relatives of hostages in Gaza participated in a commemoration at the Re’im festival site where many were killed and kidnapped on 7 October. Photo: Maya Alleruzzo / AP – I have never seen anything like this, says the woman who is director of the psychiatric department at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre. – The physical -, the sexual -, the mental abuses against the hostages who have returned, is terrible. We have to rewrite what we know about trauma, says Eitan. The medical center where she works has received 14 freed hostages. She says that even children at a young age were drugged in captivity to keep them calm. She and her colleagues say they were surprised at how complete the psychological torture was. Hostages held in various places were told that “Israel does not exist” and “nobody cares about you anymore”. 84-year-old exposed to violence Hagai Levine is one of the doctors who has treated freed hostages. He says that even very old women in poor health were treated brutally. 84-year-old Elma Avraham was in a serious condition when she was released from captivity. The woman had to be on a ventilator to survive when she arrived in Israel. – You can see on her body that her hands had been tied. She has clear signs of being dragged from place to place. She had obvious wounds on her body that were not treated when she was in captivity, the doctor told CNN. This week, released hostages participate in a hearing in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
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Freed hostages witnessed torture of young women – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
