AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has already allowed for the release of two rounds of Hamas hostages. Now that they’re out of the woods, they still have a drastic protocol to follow.
INTERNATIONAL – A long journey to return to an almost normal life. On Friday, 24 hostages, including 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino, were released as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. This Saturday, November 25th, shortly before midnight, 17 new hostages, 13 Israelis and 4 foreigners, were again handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on the 50th day of the 7th century conflict that was reignited by the Hamas attack October.
But for these hostages, the end of captivity does not mean the end of the trauma. For this reason, the first two rounds of hostage release follow a strict and monitored protocol.
Special attention
Therefore, upon receipt, an initial personalized medical examination will be carried out by the ICRC in Rafah before it is handed over to Israeli Army representatives. A process explained by Hagai Levine, head of the medical team at the Hostage Families Forum at BFMTV.
“From a medical perspective, of course the doctor will ask if you are not in pain. (…) We need to know whether they have a specific medical problem and carry out physical examinations,” he explains. Appropriate medical care is then provided in one of the six Israeli hospitals to which the patients were sent.
Government recommendations were also provided to the staff responsible for taking hostages. And they need to be given special attention. The Times of Israel cites as an example physical contact, which can only take place with the consent of the former hostage or the way they eat in cases of prolonged malnutrition in captivity. When storing underground, special attention must also be paid to sensitivity to natural light.
Israel’s Health Ministry also asked medical personnel to “look for and document signs of torture, rape or other war crimes,” Israeli media reported. Essential documentation work.
Rebuild yourself through contact with your loved ones
Once these initial precautions are taken, the hostages will gradually return to reality. This starts with collecting their personal items. An important moment before families are found and then informed of the location where their loved one was taken.
But in order to find them, the employees responsible for monitoring the hostages must, above all, ensure “that they are well again”. Hagai Levine explains that they can then find their families. A crucial moment to “regain control of your life, because healing is both physical and mental.”
“They need to be with their families because being with family is very important for their recovery,” he assures.
During this private meeting period, the media will not have access to the hostages or their families. This is explained by the desire to initially allow the hostages to rebuild themselves away from the media spotlight. However, families are then free to interact with the media or not if they wish.
“Post-traumatic stress”
The hardest part probably comes later. Because the injuries are more mental than physical. “Not all people who leave captivity (…) develop post-traumatic stress or other psychological disorders, but this is the case for a significant minority,” notes British psychiatrist Neil Greenberg, a specialist in psychological trauma, for AFP .
And while there is no “symptom of post-traumatic stress that is specific to hostages,” there are several distinctive features that could serve as triggers for future problems. These include: isolation, possible humiliation or the feeling of powerlessness.
And the documented symptoms in the event of a traumatic experience include withdrawal from social life, difficulty concentrating and/or memory loss, not to mention the occurrence of depressive or anxious behavior.
On BFMTV, Marilyne Baranes, a doctor in clinical psychology, spoke about the importance of Israel’s national protocol with the hostages, “which is scientifically recognized worldwide.” It’s about “shocking people, getting them out of this icing, bringing them back to reality” in order to prevent patients from falling into “astonishment, a psychological icing” in the long term.
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