Regarding the experiences shared by the freed abductees, the professor added: “The stories are very difficult and the meaning of what they went through is not easy. We continue to care for them and will continue to accompany them as much as is required in this very complex process. Besides them, there are many more who are still there and experiencing and enduring these horrors that cannot be to think of”.
“Everyone suffered from abuse – physical and mental”
According to Prof. Pesach, there is a difference in the medical conditions of the abductees who were in the tunnels and the abductees who were in the apartments – as he said in an interview in “Mahadorat Hayom” with Ofer Hadad: “I think there is a significant difference, but one cannot compare the suffering of one person to another, they are all They suffered from all types of abuse – physical abuse and mental abuse and for a long time.”
Prof. Pesach explained that from the first wave of returnees in the previous deal, the medical teams adhere to the protocol they developed with their colleagues in other hospitals, accompanied by the Ministry of Health. “This is an in-depth investigation of the physical and nutritional status of the returnees. This includes laboratory tests, imaging tests, tests for the function of the heart and other organs. Also an in-depth investigation of various injuries that some of them experienced both during the period of captivity and during the liberation operation.”
The professor added that he was happy that none of them experienced a serious injury, but even the serious injuries require less treatment. Along with this, the medical teams accompany the mental process and adaptation: “The returnees undergo a psychological and psychiatric evaluation as well as a psychological escort. In fact, from the first moment they are accompanied by a psychosocial team that is close to them since their arrival.”
“Fortunately, we are used to acting even on short notice and the team arrived here within minutes and connected with the returnees. The teams will accompany them and their families in the coming days and months, and unfortunately I think that in the coming years we will also help them deal with the very difficult experience they went through.”
Orit, the mother of Almog Meir Jan, who was released this weekend from Hamas captivity, told about his return to the bosom of his friends and family – after 246 days in captivity. According to her, along with the great and exciting joy, everyone is experiencing great difficulty – following the news of the death of his father, who was found dead in his home, a few hours before Almog’s return to Israel: “It is very, very difficult the way it happened and it saddens me that he cannot say goodbye to his father. Today we will go to bury him and we will give him the last honor he deserves.”
Regarding the many gaps and questions for Almog about what happened in these months, the mother said: “I’m really not there; when he feels the need to talk, share and tell, it will come from him. We give him time and go at his own pace. We have a lot of work. He looks beautiful and strong, But there is a lot of work to do, and we are now starting another round of life.”
Orit excitedly told about the first meeting with Almog. “He told me: ‘Mom, I love you,’ and then hugged me and added, ‘How much I missed you.’ The Arnon family mourns his very painful fall. There are 120 other families waiting for their gift.”
Another thing that Orit wanted to emphasize in her words is that they do not forget for a moment the abductees who are still in captivity: “We still have 120 abductees who must return home. We see how significant this urgency is and there is now a deal on the table and we should take this opportunity and sign it and return them all.”