The starvation that many of the freed Israeli hostages suffered under Hamas captivity in Gaza caused them to lose as much as 40% of their body weight, health officials said.
Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Medical Division for Israel’s Ministry of Health, warned that the condition of some of the freed hostages was “very concerning” after 15 months of captivity.
There are 27 living hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip — with no clear timeline on when they might be released.
The starvation seen in the hostages released as part of the first phase of the cease-fire deal led to significant muscle deterioration, with some captives forced to drink diluted seawater that affected their immune systems and led to infections, Mizrahi told The Jerusalem Post.
Most of the hostages who have been freed from Hamas captivity, have spoken out about the severe lack of food they were given by the terrorists during their time in captivity.
Israeli-American Aviva Siegel, who was released in the November 2024 exchange, said Hamas would starve her for 24 hours at a time, leading to significant weight loss.
Images of hostages Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levy — who were freed last month — shocked the world when the emaciated men were paraded around by Hamas, appearing to need help just to raise a hand and wave.
Mizrahi said the frightening weight loss was seen across the board with the hostages, with many of them needing to go through intense physical therapy to gradually rebuild the lost muscle mass.
She previously described Sharabi, Ami, and Levy as suffering from “extreme malnutrition.”
When it came to the seawater the hostages were given, Mizrahi noted that many of the captives suffered significant damage to their mouths, with some seeing damage to their teeth.
She added that the hostages will also be burdened with mental scars from not only their time in captivity, but for the horrors they witnessed during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
“The health system will provide all necessary support in the mental health field,” she told the JPost.
The condition of the freed hostages has only exacerbated worries over what those still in captivity are going through, with many Israelis calling on their government to secure another round of exchanges with Hamas.
Israel and Hamas are currently negotiating over the second phase of the cease-fire agreement, which seeks to free the 27 male hostages who are still believed to be alive in Gaza, including New Jersey native Edan Alexander.
The bodies of another 32 hostages are expected to be freed in the final phase of the agreement, but Israel has recently called on some of those remains to be released during the second phase.