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A woman recently released after more than 15 months of captivity in Gaza refused any medical tests one day at the Israeli hospital that received her.
The doctors were delighted.
“We canceled a whole day’s schedule,” said Prof. Noa Eliakim-Raz, who heads the department that receives hostages at Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv. The woman’s ability to retake control indicated progress after months at the mercy of her Hamas captors.
This was one of the small victories doctors say they have seen as dozens of freed hostages transition back to everyday life. For over a year, a team from Israel’s medical, military and social welfare systems has been updating a manual based on what it has learned about helping hostages readjust.
There were few precedents to learn from, officials said, especially as the captives ranged in age from infants to octogenarians.
“We are now writing the theory,” said Eti Kisos, a deputy director general at the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs.
About 250 people were seized during the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that set off the devastating war in Gaza. More than 100 hostages were released during a brief cease-fire that November, and Hamas returned 30 more living hostages this year before a shaky cease-fire collapsed.
Many were held in dark tunnels while shackled and deprived of food, according to relatives, doctors and their own testimony. Up to 24 living hostages remain in Gaza. Here’s a look at how the released hostages have been received back in Israel.
Psychologists, Hairdressers and Smartphones
After the Red Cross transferred hostages from Hamas gunmen to Israeli forces in Gaza, a mental health professional with the military accompanied them to their first point of re-entry — an army facility on the Israeli side of the border.
Physical contact is reserved for those who request it. Some ask for a hug.
“We learned from other countries’ experience that it was essential to enable them a gradual transition process and not to flood them with stimuli,” said Lt. Col. Uzi, a military mental health officer who agreed only to be referred to by his first name, because of the sensitivity of his role.
At the base, the released hostages had their first taste of freedom. One asked to see herself in the mirror, Colonel Uzi said. Others asked for nail polish or a comb. Some speak little, while others are eager to share their experiences.
After something light to eat and drink and some time to adjust, they are reunited with close family members.
Often for the first time since they were captured, the released hostages get choices. “What do you want to eat, drink? What kind of clothes to wear, what colors, what sizes? Where to meet their families and to shower before or after?” said Col. Avi Benov, a doctor and deputy chief of the military’s medical corps. He called the gradual transition from captivity to freedom “grounding.”
Health experts also compare it to decompression, the way a diver returns to the surface.
After an initial physical and mental health assessment, returnees can make phone calls, and use the services of a hairdresser, barber or beautician.
At first, only gradual exposure to communications and social media was recommended. But some of the younger hostages found it therapeutic to reconnect with the outside world. Now, every returning hostage is offered a new smartphone.
On their return, some receive difficult news about loved ones who remain in captivity or were killed in the October attack.
One Israeli hostage, Or Levy, was freed in early February. He was abducted as he and his wife, Einav, fled the Nova music festival, where more than 380 people were killed. Military officers broke the news to him that she had been killed, his brother, Michael Levy, said in an interview.
Learning to Eat Again
The next stop is a dedicated, secluded wing at one of the three hospitals set up to receive hostages, where multidisciplinary civilian teams await.
At Beilinson Hospital, each returnee is assigned a dietitian, according to Professor Eliakim-Raz. Weight and muscle grip are checked, and diets are individually tailored.
One of Mr. Levy’s first cravings after his release was a shawarma wrap, his brother said. Despite dietitians’ warnings against the high-calorie dish so early on, his brother decided he wanted one, he said.
Doctors have been wary of re-feeding syndrome — the potentially dangerous effects that eating too much, too fast can have on people who have been starved or severely malnourished. Eli Sharabi, who came back from Gaza’s tunnels emaciated, slowly increased his food intake by 100 grams a day, said his brother, Sharon Sharabi.
About 24 living hostages remain in Gaza. Some have been kept in tunnels, shackled, for much or all of the past 18 months, according to the testimony of released captives.
Maintaining the privacy of the returnees is considered essential. But the hospitals also try to reduce the institutional atmosphere, so special wings have been adapted to feel more homey. There are formal protocols to follow, but adjustments are made to treat each case individually.
A group of female lookout soldiers, abducted from the military base near Gaza where they had been serving, for example, wanted to be together after release. “There’s a healing power in this group,” Professor Eliakim-Raz said, adding that their physiotherapy became like group therapy.
Preparing for the arrival of hostages, the hospitals described their special wings as if they were vacation spots. Beilinson’s wing features 21 “spacious and luxurious rooms” equipped with soft clothing and bedding, cozy blankets and slippers, mini-fridges, potted plants, recovery teddy bears and phone chargers, the hospital said in a statement sent to journalists.
Also available: private dining facilities for family meals made by chefs, as well as beauty treatments, manicures and pedicures.
Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, issued images of lounge areas it had prepared with pastel couches and brightly colored ottomans. Towels were rolled up on beds, spa style.
Israel has been criticized for its treatment of Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees. In February, an Israeli military prosecutor charged five reservist soldiers with abuse of a Palestinian detainee at a military base where thousands of Gazans have spent time, handcuffed and blindfolded, without being charged. Former detainees have described beatings and demeaning conditions in the facility.
Israel also halted all goods and aid from entering Gaza in early March. A U.N. agency said this was the longest period without aid or commercial supplies entering the enclave since October 2023, and that Gazans were facing acute shortages of food, water and medicine.
Initial Elation, a Long Recovery
Many hostages came back with physical injuries and shrapnel in their bodies, doctors and relatives say. Some require complicated surgery.
The first days of freedom are “euphoric,” said Ms. Kisos, the welfare ministry official. “Adrenaline is at its peak. There’s immense joy that the nightmare is over,” she said, “and then, many times, there’s a downfall.”
The initial smiles and social media posts can be deceptive, concealing deep trauma. Insomnia and nightmares are common. Some released hostages fall ill. “They’ve come out of immediate danger, and now the body is allowing itself to react,” Ms. Kisos said.
Once discharged from the hospital, the returnees are assigned a social worker who can provide emotional support and help with bureaucracy.
“Their trust in the systems, in the state has been shaken,” said Rosi Neuman, a social worker who has accompanied released hostages.
Mr. Levy was discharged from the hospital after about 10 days and moved, together with his 3-year-old son, into an apartment provided by the authorities. “He went back to being a dad very fast,” his brother said.
Another hostage, Eli Sharabi, came back on Feb. 8 to find that his wife and two teenage daughters had been killed in the October attack. Yet like many of the returnees, Mr. Sharabi has already thrown himself into the campaign for the release of those still held in Gaza.
He traveled to New York to address the United Nations Security Council on last month.
“My name is Eli Sharabi, I am 53 years old,” he told the council. “I’ve come back from hell. I’ve returned to tell my story.”
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