Preliminary and discreet consultations are still ongoing among Israeli health authorities in which a “terrible scenario” is raised: the possibility that women held hostage by Hamas were raped upon their return to Israel, which may also be at an advanced stage are in pregnancy. The news was spread by Maariv, according to which there were no concrete figures on this. Although the newspaper notes with alarm that rapes against Israelis had already occurred on October 7, and subsequently added information about other possible acts of sexual violence against women who were still among the 136 Israelis held hostage in Gaza.
Adding to the health concerns are the deteriorated hygienic conditions in these detention centers, with the possibility of infections developing that endanger the health of the female hostages. Added to this is the devastating psychological aspect of pregnancy resulting from rape under these circumstances. “The brain cannot even understand the situation of a woman who has to try to conceive as a result of being raped by a terrorist killer,” said Professor Tal Biran of the Meir Medical Center in Kfa Saba (Tel Aviv). The topic is discussed and examined in detail by teams of gynecologists and psychologists.
Meanwhile, Maariv points out that in Israel, abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy are approved by a special commission. The approval of a second commission is also required in subsequent periods. In this specific case, Maariv said, a woman interested in having an abortion after being detained in Gaza would be expected to be granted permission provided no serious health problems had arisen. “The more days that pass, the more acute the problem becomes,” noted Professor Haggai Levin, head of public medicine in Israel. – Such pregnancies can lead to complications due to stress, unhygienic environment and lack of medical attention. “If there is a woman among the prisoners who became pregnant after being raped,” he concluded, “she must be returned to Israel with the utmost urgency.”
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