Israel announces aid for hostages to be released within the framework of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza

The Ministry of Health issues guidelines to hospitals for their treatment, which differ from those of November 2023

The Minister of Labor and Social Services of Israel, Yiav Ben Tzur, announced this Thursday that the hostages who are released as part of the ceasefire agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) will receive financial aid from the Government and will be recognized 50 percent disability due to their suffering after being kidnapped in the attacks carried out on October 7, 2023.

Ben Tzur, who has applauded the agreement, has stated that “there will be an aid package that has been prepared for the hostages who return”, before adding that it includes “an immediate payment of 10,000 shekels (about 2,685 euros) for needs “immediate”.

Likewise, he has stated that these people will also receive 50,000 shekels (around 13,420 euros) for “medical treatment” and “unconditional recognition of a 50 percent disability”, which implies various social benefits, according to the Israeli newspaper ‘ The Times of Israel’.

“All this will not help them quickly forget what they have suffered, but I hope that God heals their bodies and their souls,” stressed Ben Tzur, who stressed that “it is a great day for the state of Israel” and has assured that The authorities are “prepared” for the return of the kidnapped people.

For its part, the Israeli Ministry of Health has issued guidelines to hospitals for action once the hostages are transferred, regulations that differ “significantly” from those that were in place during the liberations within the framework of the truce agreed in November 2023.

“There is a risk that returning hostages will develop refeeding syndrome,” said the head of the ministry’s General Medical Division, Hagar Mizrahi. “This happens when people deprived of food during their captivity try to compensate by consuming carbohydrates, which could cause serious harm,” he added.

In this way, the protocol recommends a minimum stay of four days in the hospital, given that some of the kidnapped people released in the first batch would have regretted being discharged earlier than recommended, according to Mizrahi, who has also asked family members and visitors to Do not post photos or updates about your status on social media.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas, reached after months of indirect talks, will be divided into three phases. The first of them will last 42 days and will certify the cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli troops towards the border and the exchange of 33 hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase will consist of the distribution of “safe and effective” humanitarian aid in much of the Gaza Strip, devastated after more than 15 months of Israeli offensive. The repair of health centers will also be carried out and civil supplies and fuel will be allowed to enter the enclave. As the first phase is certified, more details of the second and third stages of the pact will be announced.

Israel launched its offensive against Gaza after the attacks carried out on October 7, 2023, which left nearly 1,200 dead and about 250 kidnapped. Since then, more than 46,700 Palestinians have died in the Strip, according to the Gazan authorities, controlled by Hamas, to which are added more than 850 deaths at the hands of security forces and in attacks carried out by settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.