Israel sends a report to the UN on the ‘brutal’ treatment of hostages by terrorists in Gaza

Warning: This article includes graphic and disturbing depictions of the October 7 massacre in Israel.

In a new report from the Israeli Ministry of Health, recently submitted United Nationshostages who were freed from Hamas captivity described being subjected to unimaginable suffering. Among the gruesome testimonies, two children revealed that they had been tied up and beaten throughout their captivity, with scars and marks of trauma on their bodies. Others have reported being intentionally burned with heated objects, leaving permanent injuries.

The women described in detail horrific sexual violence, including assaults at gunpoint and being forced to undress in front of their captors. The men also suffered sexual abuse, prolonged starvation, severe beatings and torture that included branding with hot metal.

Many of the hostages suffered significant weight loss, with children losing up to 18% of their body weight. Unsanitary conditions led to infections, gastrointestinal diseases and other serious health complications. These atrocities, along with the systematic use of physical and psychological abuse as a tool of oppression, paint a grim picture of the hostages’ ordeal.

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While some have been freed, 99 remain in captivity, still enduring these unimaginable conditions 14 months after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.

Among those still in custody is Or Levi, whose wife was killed during the October 7 attack. Orr’s brother, Michael Levi, shared his anguish in an interview, describing the devastating impact of the Health Department report.

Levi expressed deep frustration with the international community, particularly the United Nations, and said he held out little hope for meaningful action following the report. “For some reason, the Israeli side doesn’t count as human,” he told Fox News Digital. “The UN ignores the fact that Hamas commits crimes against humanity.” Levi represented families of hostages at a briefing for the UN Security Council last month. “When I addressed the Security Council, I wanted them to hear a personal story. They must understand that there can be no lives that are worth more than others.”

“When you see how inhumane and horrible the conditions are that the hostages are in, and when you know that my brother is one of them… it kills me,” he said. “Thinking about my brother, who is almost six feet tall, trying to stand up in dark, airless tunnels less than six feet short – it’s unbearable.”

Negotiations for the release of the hostages are underway, after President-elect Trump promised there would be “hell pay” if the hostages are not released before he takes office. However, Levi’s brother Or is allegedly not “on the lists” because he is a young man and therefore not considered a “humanitarian case”. Michael explained that his brother has a three-year-old son who, after losing his mother on October 7, was left with only his father. “If this isn’t a humanitarian case, I don’t know what is,” he said.

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Despite his frustration, Levi hopes the approach will change under Trump. “I’m actually optimistic that somebody will do something,” he said. “So far, the pressure on Hamas and their financiers, such as Qatar, Turkey and Iran, has been inadequate. A more aggressive stance by President Trump could bring results.”

“The report we are submitting to the UN is a harrowing testimony to the brutal experiences of the hostages in Hamas captivity,” said Israeli Health Minister Uriel Busso. “These are actions that cannot be tolerated and require the world to wake up and do something.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations sharply criticized the world body during a recent UN Security Council meeting over its handling of the hostage issue. “The UN and the international community are trying to forget the torture and atrocities that happened on October 7. We will never forget the horrors and we will not stop until we return all the hostages.”

dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Ministry’s medical administration, added: “The difficult physical and mental condition of the returnees gives the world a glimpse of the widespread crimes committed by Hamas. The condition of all the hostages still being held in Gaza is appalling. It is necessary to make every effort to return them .”

The report of the Ministry of Health is divided into two parts. The first outlines the physical and psychological abuse of the hostages during captivity, based on the testimonies of the medical teams that treated the returnees. The second part focuses on rehabilitation models designed to help returnees recover, based on data from specialized clinics.

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The psychological abuse was just as devastating, according to the report. The hostages are isolated and forced to witness acts of violence. Survivors reported intense trauma, including dissociative episodes, severe nightmares, and overwhelming guilt for leaving loved ones behind. Many still cannot adapt to normal life, they are persecuted the horrors they survived.

The publication of the report caused mixed reactions. While it validates the suffering of survivors, it also reopens emotional wounds for families and returnees. “Detailed documentation emphasizes the urgency of international intervention,” said dr. Hagai Levin, Head of the Health Team for the Forum of Hostages and Missing Families.

Levin emphasized the complexity of the treatment of freed hostages. “They face profound psychological challenges, including PTSD, anxiety, depression and difficulty re-engaging in everyday life,” he explained. “Children often experience developmental regression and increased anxiety. Rehabilitation requires a multidisciplinary, long-term approach.”

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Minister Busso’s statement to the UN was unequivocal: “The testimonies presented in this report serve as a wake-up call to the international community to apply increased pressure on Hamas and its supporters to release all hostages without delay. This is a moral and humanitarian imperative, and the time to act points out.”