‘Wake-up Call For the International Community’: Israeli Hostages Describe Torture, Sexual Assault in Gaza

Latest Developments

Israel To Send Report to United Nations: Israel plans to submit a report to the United Nations outlining the horrific abuses that Israeli hostages were subjected to by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The report was collected from over a year of interviews with medical and welfare teams that worked with both hostages who were released in a negotiated November 2023 deal and rescued in IDF operations. “The testimonies presented in this report serve as a wake-up call for the international community to apply increased pressure on Hamas and its supporters to release all hostages without delay,” said Israeli Health Minister Uriel Busso.
Hostages Bound, Beaten, and Sexually Assaulted: The report lists numerous atrocities, such as hostages having their hands and feet bound for days, receiving little food and water, being beaten, and being restricted from using the bathroom. Many, including children, reported being branded with hot objects heated over an open flame and being subjected to sexual abuse, with two teenage hostages reporting to have been forced to perform sexual acts on each other. Hostages who had severe injuries underwent medical treatment without anesthesia or painkillers, and elderly hostages were not given medicine to treat their prior conditions. Hostages were also starved, causing weight loss and muscle deterioration, with the average adult losing 18 to 33 pounds in captivity and children losing on average 10 percent of their body weight, in some cases as high as 18 percent.
Released Hostages Continue to Endure Psychological Effects: Health officials also documented the hostages’ conditions after their release and reported several psychological issues. Many of the former hostages were afraid to leave their room or were hoarding food given to them, fearing they would not have enough for the next day. Others struggled to accept that their freedom was real and that they were in an Israeli hospital, thinking it was a dream, or experiencing survivor’s guilt as long as other hostages — including members of their families — remained in Gaza, hampering their rehabilitation. Israel believes 100 hostages remain in Gaza 451 days after October 7, including 34 believed to be dead.

FDD Expert Response

“Victims from scores of countries — not just Israel — were abducted and tortured by Hamas. A staggering 100 individuals are still being held in Gaza, contravening every torture, hostage-taking, and human rights convention passed by the United Nations. And yet, to date, the UN has proven to be morally bankrupt in addressing the matter. The report underscores the urgency of using all tools necessary to ensure all remaining hostages are released now. It also serves as a reminder of the dangerous ideology that underpins the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, which praise the actions of October 7 and to which people of all religions around the globe are subjected as Iran exports its revolutionary ideology. It should be a wake-up call to all. The International Committee of the Red Cross bears particular responsibility for its failure to gain access to the hostages and provide them with medicine, food, and protection. It will long be a stain on the organization.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director of FDD Action

“The heinous crimes of Hamas terrorists on October 7 and since have been well documented by Israel and by the United Nations. However, despite the abundance of evidence, including testimonies, forensic evidence, and video that the terrorists collected and broadcast on October 7, the United Nations still refuses to label Hamas as a terror organization.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network