Two Israeli doctors who treated freed hostages, as well as an Israeli military official familiar with the matter, confirmed to American newspaper USA TODAY that some released women revealed that they had suffered violent sexual assaults in captivity. All three spoke on condition of anonymity.
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One of the doctors said that among those aged 12 to 48, many of the 30 suffered sexual assault during their captivity at the hands of Hamas in Gaza.
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Women protesting outside United Nations HQ in New York City, criticizing organization's silence on atrocities committed by Hamas
(Photo: Roi Boshi)
The doctor chose not to detail the specific nature of the assaults, while emphasizing that victims of sexual abuse generally have a four times higher risk of mortality than people who have not suffered such abuse.
He said all released female hostages of childbearing age were subjected to pregnancy tests and screening for sexually transmitted infections.
The second doctor observed that many released female hostages showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, noting that they came for help as patients deeply traumatized by extremely serious sexual assaults.
An Israeli military official said that just as authorities know that many women were sexually assaulted at the Supernova music festival and in their homes on October 7, "we know that female hostages were raped during their captivity under control of Hamas."
He added that Israel knows that the women still held in Gaza are in "very poor mental and physical conditions."
The official reported that the hostages are suffering physical violence, lacking food, water and medicine, and are being held in southern Gaza. They are frequently moved from house to house, sometimes above ground, sometimes via tunnels, in an attempt to evade detection.
He concluded that some of this information comes from testimonies of released hostages and others from intelligence obtained by Israel.