Ongoing war crimes against the hostages are being committed in the form of denial of exposure to light, deliberate starvation, and psychological abuse, alongside prevention of medical assessment and treatment, and prevention of meetings with the Red Cross.
Professor Dror Mevorach warns that while little can be expected from a terrorist organization like Hamas, whose heart is cold even toward its own people, as well as from the Red Cross that met with family representatives on Tuesday, the international community is not demanding enough from Hamas and Qatar. Nations must demand that Hamas allow medical examinations, prevent starvation, and stop the abuse. The Israeli government should also have insisted on such conditions in previous agreements with Hamas, especially given that released terrorists received reasonable medical treatment. Israel does not pressure enough to force Hamas to conduct medical examinations of the hostages and prevent starvation and psychological abuse.
We see the results in the videos. We saw their deteriorated physical condition. We do not know how long this took, but beyond psychological stress and lack of vitamins and minerals, they have no body fat left. They are in the midst of a muscle breakdown process designed to preserve the function of vital organs like the brain. Even if their captors did not intend to kill them but "just starve them a little" – they are in immediate life danger from deficiencies and immune system deterioration as a result.
What can be done? We must demand first and foremost, before any discussion of a partial or complete agreement, that doctors – Palestinians, or better yet, Red Cross representatives – examine the hostages and produce an immediate report that will serve as the basis for any agreement. We must also demand from all nations of the world – the US, European countries, Asia, and Australia – that the hostages undergo medical examination and that the abuse against them be stopped.
Finally, we must set a red flag for our government – it is no longer possible to say in one breath to defeat Hamas and save hostages. Priorities must be set. In my view, the priority is clear – hostages first, we will deal with Hamas later. Finally, we must invest more in explaining the situation as it truly is to the nations of the world, especially to the countries involved – Egypt, Qatar, the US, and Europe.
