Noa Argamani Reunites with her family (IDF)
An Israeli medical expert who treated some of the hostages who were freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza over the weekend spoke about how they are dealing with their ordeals. In an interview with Israel’s N12 News Prof. Itai Pesach, director of the Safra Children’s Hospital at Tel Hashomer, explained how while the four freed hostages may be happy for now, they have suffered a great deal and sometimes symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can take a long time to manifest themselves.
PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares
The Mayo Clinic explains that PTSD symptoms may start within one month of a traumatic event, but sometimes symptoms may not appear until years after the event. These symptoms cause significant problems in social or work situations and in relationships. They can also interfere with your ability to go about your normal daily tasks.
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The images shared of the freed hostages reunited with their loved ones showed them to be happy and smiling. However, this may be misleading.
Prof. Itai Pesach treated the abductees who returned from Hamas captivity at the weekend and explained, “They have been physically and mentally abused for a long time. They are all in a state of severe malnutrition, although it does not appear to them. We must not let the sight of the eyes for a moment confuse us. Although it does not appear to them, the returnees were subjected to severe physical and mental abuse”
“It is true that the situation is very happy,” he added. “We are all happy and there are many happy moments here of the reunification of families and friends who have not seen each other for many months.”
Prof. Pesach said that the medical professionals will now accompany the freed hostages and slowly collect data, including physical medical data, that show how “difficult the captivity was and how difficult and complex the conditions were.”
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Regarding the experiences shared by the freed abductees, he added: “The stories are very difficult and the meaning of what they went through is not easy, and we continue to treat them and will continue to accompany them as much as necessary in this very complex process. Apart from them, there are many more who are still there and experiencing and enduring these horrors It is conceivable.”
