A new report by the health division of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum released on Wednesday exposes the severe psychological and physical toll on families of deceased hostages, who are grappling with an unprecedented combination of prolonged trauma, disrupted bereavement, uncertainty, and lack of closure.
Many families remain suspended in a state of persistent doubt, as death notifications were sometimes based solely on intelligence information without forensic confirmation, intensifying both the agonizing wait and lingering hope while severely complicating the natural grieving process.
The report warns of severe health and functional consequences including physical and mental deterioration, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic symptoms, sleep disorders, and functioning difficulties. Many families find themselves unable to resume normal life and work routines.
Furthermore, many families are experiencing severe disruption in daily functioning – including complete work cessation or significant productivity decline, inability to care for children or manage household responsibilities, and mounting difficulties in maintaining personal relationships and social connections.
"These are families under exceptionally intense psychological pressure, which directly leads to physical problems," says Professor Hagai Levine, head of the health division at the Families Forum. "What we're seeing here is a combination of anxiety, depression, trauma, and medical injuries that worsen as time passes without resolution. Without appropriate support, and without the return of all deceased hostages, the families' health condition will continue to deteriorate."
Despite the unique status of families of deceased hostages, the state does not recognize them as a distinct group, leaving their legal status unregulated in a way that reflects both the trauma of kidnapping and the ongoing struggle period. This regulatory gap significantly impacts the support mechanisms needed by the families.
The report's authors called for immediate action: "There must be institutional recognition that will enable them to receive financial support, psychological accompaniment, and medical treatment to help cope with the loss and rehabilitation." Additionally, the report emphasizes the urgent need to improve notification mechanisms and handling of intelligence information. "Many families received notifications about their loved ones without definitive information or with changing assessments over time, which exacerbated the psychological damage."
The report, authored by Dr. Einat Yehene and Professor Hagai Levine, calls for the return of all hostages – the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial, to allow all families closure. It emphasizes the critical need for media-public awareness and social recognition of the families, alongside the presence, commemoration, and establishment of support groups to help them cope with disrupted bereavement and delayed mourning.
The document called for urgent state action to return all deceased for burial as soon as possible. "The families experience ongoing suffering due to lack of closure, and the state is obligated to return their loved ones, not only as a moral duty but also to prevent further deterioration in their emotional and health condition."
The report also highlighted the importance of sustained public and media awareness, to prevent situations where public attention wanes once a hostage is confirmed deceased. The authors recommended more sensitive media discourse and careful attention to language used regarding the deceased, in accordance with families' wishes, alongside presence actions, commemoration and establishing support groups for bereaved families to help them cope with their loss and ensure their loved ones are not forgotten.
