When three Israeli hostages emerged at the weekend, emaciated and gaunt after 16 months in Hamas captivity, Israelis were shocked by the images.
But inside the Israeli government, top officials were not surprised.
And many of the remaining Israeli hostages are also believed to be in even worse condition, the officials said. “From this moment onward, we expect worse scenes,” a second Israeli official said.
Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami were paraded by Hamas militants during a handover ceremony on Saturday, the three latest Israeli hostages to be freed by the militant group since the implementation of the ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas.
The three men appeared drastically thinner than before their release, and their relatives subsequently raised concerns about their physical and mental treatment during their captivity.
Hamas has since postponed the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday “until further notice,” accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal. This has heightened fears surrounding the status and wellbeing of the dozens of Israelis still being held in the enclave.
Israel’s intelligence indicates that Hamas has been treating male hostages worse than female captives, the second official said, and there is especially heightened concern for the condition of the male soldiers held captive by Hamas.
Many male hostages have been fed less and kept in far worse conditions, the officials added, citing Israeli assessments.
Evidence supporting that intelligence has only grown in recent days, as the freed hostages and their families described elements of their captivity.
Or Levy’s brother Michael said when he saw his brother on Saturday for the first time in 16 months, he wasn’t the same person who left home on October 7, 2023.
“He came back in poor physical condition. Anyone who saw the pictures and videos couldn’t ignore it. For 16 months, he was hungry, barefoot and in constant fear that every day can be his last,” Michael said, according to the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters.
Returning hostages said that several male hostages were being held in chains and are severely malnourished.
In a heart-wrenching interview on Israel’s Channel 12, the mother of 24-year-old hostage Alon Ohel shared what she had learned about her son.
“He has shrapnel in his eye, he has shrapnel in his shoulder, he has shrapnel in his arm. Alon was bound in chains, this entire time, and he had almost no food — at most one pita a day, over a very, very, very long time, more than a year,” Idit Ohel said.
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Ella Ben Ami said her father, Ohad, “went through hell” in Gaza and noted that the remaining Israeli hostages are suffering the same conditions her father did.
“I had many pictures in my mind of my dad, but nothing prepared me for those pictures of him on that stage in Gaza. I was sure that I would be strong, but I fell on the floor and screamed, ‘I’m sorry,’” she said.
The Israeli military meanwhile said on Tuesday that Shlomo Mantzur, who at 85 was the oldest hostage taken on October 7, was killed during the Hamas-led attack and his body has since been held in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday they notified his family after confirmation of his death “based on intelligence gathered in recent months” and following approval by a committee of the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of Religious Services and the Israeli Police.