Hamas tortured hostages in Gaza, including minors - Israeli Health Ministry
Kyiv • UNN
The Israeli Ministry of Health has prepared a report on torture and violence against hostages in Gaza, including children. The report is based on the testimonies of more than 100 released persons and will be presented to the UN.
Hostages held in Gaza were subjected to torture. In particular, sexual and psychological violence, starvation, burns and lack of medical care. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that a new report by the Israeli Ministry of Health, which will be presented at the UN this week, is based on interviews with medical and social groups that have treated more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages. Most of them were released in late November 2023 under a short-lived truce between Israel and Hamas. Eight hostages were rescued by the Israeli military.
According to the report, more than 30 children and teenagers were among the hostages. Some of them were tied up, beaten or branded with a hot object.
Meanwhile, women reported being sexually abused by their captors, including at gunpoint. The men, for their part, were beaten, starved, branded, tied up in isolation and denied access to toilets. Some were denied treatment for injuries and illnesses.
The report does not provide the names and ages of the hostages to protect their privacy, but some of the descriptions match those provided by the hostages and the personnel who treated them.
Hamas has repeatedly denied abuses against the 251 hostages kidnapped from Israel during its October 7, 2023 attack. Israeli authorities believe that about half of the 100 hostages held in Gaza are still alive,
Reuters reminds us that a new attempt to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, including a hostage deal, has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, although no breakthrough has been reported yet.
The agency also added that the war began with a Hamas attack in October 2023, which, according to Israeli authorities, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Recall
An investigation by the Israeli military revealedthat its ground operations influenced Hamas's decision to kill six hostages in Rafah. The bodies were found in an underground mine, and the soldiers were unaware of the hostages' presence.