A woman recently released after more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza refused any medical test one day to the Israeli hospital who received her.
The doctors were happy.
“We canceled a one-day program,” said Prof. Noa Eliakim-Raz, who directs the department that receives hostages at the Beilinson hospital near Tel Aviv. The woman's ability to resume control indicated progress after months at the mercy of its Hamas kidnappers.
This was one of the small victories that doctors claim to have seen dozens of hostages freed to everyday life. For over a year, a team of Israeli medical, military, military and social systems updated a manual based on what has learned about helping the hostages to read.
There were few precedents to learn from, the officials said, especially when the prisoners varied from children to the octorous.
“We are now writing the theory,” said Eti Kisos, deputy director general at the Ministry of Wellness and Social Affairs.
About 250 people were seized during the terrorist attack led by Hamas to Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the devastating war in Gaza. More than 100 hostages were released during a short ceased the fire in November and Hamas returned another 30 living hostages this year before one ceased the shaky fire collapsed.
Many have been held in dark tunnels while they are chained and deprived of food, according to relatives, doctors and their own testimony. They remain up to 24 living hostages in Gaza. Here is a look at how the hostages released were received in Israel.
Psychologists, hairdressers and smartphones
After the Red Cross transferred the hostages from Hamas' armed men to the Israeli forces in Gaza, a mental health professional with the military accompanied them to their first return-a military structure on the Israeli side of the border.
Physical contact is reserved for those who require it. Some ask for a hug.
“We learned from the experience of other countries that it was essential to allow them to be a gradual transition process and not to flood them with stimuli,” said Lieutenant Col. Uzi, a military health officer who accepted only to be indicated with his name, due to the sensitivity of his role.
At the base, the hostages released had their first taste of freedom. One asked to see herself in the mirror, said Colonel Uzi. Others asked for nail polish or a comb. Some speak little, while others are anxious to share their experiences.
After something light to eat and drink and some time to adapt, they gather with tight family members.
Often for the first time since they were caught, the hostages released have been chosen. “What do you want to eat, drink? What kind of clothes to wear, what colors, what size? Where to meet their families and take a shower before or after?” Colonel Avi Benov, doctor and deputy head of the army medical body said. He called the gradual transition from captivity to freedom “foundation”.
Health experts also compare it with decompression, the way in which a sub returns to the surface.
After an initial evaluation of physical and mental health, repatriated can make phone calls and use the services of a hairdresser, a barber or a beautician.
Initially, only a gradual exhibition to communications and social media was recommended. But some of the youngest hostages found therapeutic reconnect with the outside world. Now, every hostage is offered a new smartphone.
On their return, some receive difficult news about loved ones who remain in captivity or have been killed in the October attack.
An Israeli hostage, or withdrawal, was freed in early February. He was kidnapped while he and his wife, Einav, escaped from the Nova Music Festival, where more than 380 people were killed. The military officers gave him the news that he had been killed, said his brother Michael Levy in an interview.
Learn to eat again
The next stop is a dedicated and secluded wing in one of the three hospitals established to receive hostages, where they are waiting for multidisciplinary civil teams.
A dietician is assigned to the Beilinson Hospital, according to Professor Eliakim-Raz. The weight and muscle grip are controlled and the diets are personalized individually.
One of Mr. Levy's first cravings after his release was a shawma envelope, said his brother. Despite the warnings of the dieticians against the high calorie plate so early, his brother decided that he wanted one, he said.
The doctors were wary in the re-food syndrome: the potentially dangerous effects that eating too much, too quickly can have on people who have been hungry or seriously malnourished. Eli Sharabi, who returned from the tunnels of Gaza Emaciata, slowly increased the food intake of 100 grams per day, said his brother, Sharon Sharabi.
About 24 living hostages remain in Gaza. Some have been held in tunnels, chained, for a long time or all the last 18 months, according to the testimony of the prisoners released.
The maintenance of the privacy of repatriates is considered essential. But hospitals also try to reduce the institutional atmosphere, so the special wings have been adapted to feel more at home. There are formal protocols to follow, but adjustments are made to treat each case individually.
A group of female soldiers, kidnapped by the military base near Gaza, where they had served, for example, wanted to be together after the release. “There is a healing power in this group,” said Professor Eliakim-Raz, adding that their physiotherapy has become as group therapy.
Preparing for the arrival of the hostages, the hospitals described their special wings as if they were holiday points. Beilinson's wing has 21 “spacious and luxurious” rooms with soft clothing and bed linen, welcoming covers and slippers, mini fridges, pot plants, recovery bears and telephone charger, said the hospital in a declaration sent to journalists.
Also available: private dining facilities for family meals made by chefs, as well as beauty, manicure and pedicure treatments.
Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, emitted images of lounge areas that she had prepared with pastel and Ottoman sofas with bright colors. The towels were rolled up on beds, spa style.
Israel has been criticized for his treatment of Palestinian prisoners and prisoners in war time. In February, an Israeli military prosecutor accused five soldiers abuse of abuse of a Palestinian prisoner in a military base where thousands of Gazani spent time, handcuffed and blindfolded, without being accused. The former prisoners described humiliating jokes and conditions in the structure.
Israel also stopped all the assets and help to enter Gaza in early March. A United Nations Agency said that this was the longest period without aid or commercial supplies that entered the Enclave since October 2023 and that Gazas were facing acute food deficiencies, water and medicine.
Initial euphoria, a long recovery
Many hostages have returned with physical injuries and splinters in their bodies, doctors and relatives say. Some require complicated surgery.
The first days of freedom are “euphoric”, said Mrs. Kisos, official of the Ministry of Wellness. “Adrenaline is at its peak. There is an immense joy that the nightmare is over,” he said, “and then, many times, there is a fall.”
The initial smiles and social media posts can be deceptive, hiding deep trauma. Insomnia and nightmares are common. Some hostages released get sick. “They came out of immediate danger and now the body is allowing to react,” said Mrs. Kisos.
Once discharged from the hospital, a social worker is assigned to the repatriations that can provide emotional support and help with bureaucracy.
“Their trust in the systems, in the state, was shaken,” said Rosi Neuman, a social worker who accompanied the hostages released.
Mr. Levy was discharged from the hospital after about 10 days and moved, together with his 3 -year -old son, in an apartment provided by the authorities. “He returned to being a dad very quickly,” said his brother.
Another hostage, Eli Sharabi, returned on February 8 to find that his wife and two teenage daughters had been killed in the October attack. Yet, like many of the repatriages, Mr. Sharabi has already thrown himself into the campaign for the release of those who have still been held in Gaza.
He traveled to New York to contact the United Nations Security Council last month.
“My name is Eli Sharabi, I am 53 years old,” he told the Council. “I came back from hell. I went back to telling my story.”