Within just 12 hours, 1,700 doctors and healthcare professionals signed an urgent petition demanding the immediate release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, following the alarming condition of the three hostages released last Saturday – Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami.
Israel Medical Association (IMA) Chairman Professor Zion Hagay warned Monday that "the disturbing images we witnessed upon the release of the three hostages leave no doubt – the government must take every possible action to expedite the release of all remaining hostages, as quickly as possible." He stated that the returned hostages endured physical and mental abuse along with starvation, and their condition indicates immediate danger to all remaining hostages' lives.
"The images we witnessed reminded us all of humanity's darkest days," Professor Hagay said, calling on the international medical community "to look into the eyes of Ohad, Eli, and Or and take a clear and unequivocal stance on the severe health condition of both the released hostages and the many who remain captive."
The petition, addressed to the prime minister, members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, and government ministers, warns that "we have come to the stark realization that the hostages who are still alive are no longer merely in 'harsh captivity' or difficult conditions: they are being held in life-threatening conditions."
Professor Naftali Stern, an endocrinologist and director of the Sagol Center for Epigenetics at Ichilov, who led the petition, addressed the condition of one released hostage: "Eli Sharabi, who was a full-bodied man, is now just a skeleton. Had he remained there for another two months, what would have been left of him?" Stern, a child of Holocaust survivors, added: "I am the son of Holocaust survivors, and if there's one message I've passed on, it's 'never again.'"
The physicians who signed the petition emphasized they were "not naive" and understood the war's cost. "We have experienced wars as both soldiers and doctors," the petition states, "but this is not the situation before us. Israel is no longer in immediate danger and has already struck its enemies decisively, even if the mission is not complete."
"The sight of the returned hostages caused an emotional collapse and shock," Professor Stern said. "We are many months past the existential danger, and there is no reason and no ability to live alongside the fact that dozens of our people are being held in starvation and extermination sites. These people could simply not wake up one morning. Physically, their time has simply run out."
The petition concludes with a grave warning: "This is not a political position but a medical outcry from doctors and health professionals. Every minute counts. We warn publicly and will warn from every possible platform: those who are still alive will not survive. Their return cannot be delayed by a day, not by an hour."
