TIMES OF ISRAEL
Hostages were beaten, abused ‘almost every day,’ says doctor who treated rescuees
June 10, 2024

The doctor in charge of treating the hostages rescued from Gaza on Saturday tells CNN that the abductees were regularly beaten by their captors. “It was a harsh, harsh experience, with a lot of abuse, almost every day,” Dr. Itai Pessach of Sheba Medical Center says. “Every hour, both physical, mental and other types, and that is something that is beyond comprehension.” According to the American outlet, Pessach says the eight months the hostages spent under Hamas captivity “left a significant mark on their health,” despite them appearing outwardly to be in good shape. “They had no protein, so their muscles are extremely wasted, there is damage to some other systems because of that,” he says, adding that they said the supply of food and water varied, and that they were moved a few times and dealt with different guards. READ MORE

CNN Israeli hostage faced ‘punishments’ during eight months in Hamas captivity, family says A Russian citizen, Kozlov moved to Israel almost two years ago. He was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was kidnapped and taken into Gaza. In an interview with CNN, Kozlov’s family revealed some details of their son’s ordeal, including that he initially believed the Israeli forces who saved him had been sent to kill him. Kozlov’s father, Mikhail Kozlov, said his son was “very scared” because Hamas militants had for months falsely said that “Israel wanted to kill them all” claiming “they were a problem for Israel”. “He was told that Israel wants to kill him. He didn’t understand why the IDF came. He was afraid that the IDF came to kill him. It took him some time to realize that they came to rescue him.”