History has taught us often about the harsh conditions suffered by prisoners of war, but nothing compares to the nightmare endured by the Israeli hostages held in Gaza for nearly 8 months, under extremely difficult conditions. As hard as we tried to get ready for the hostages who were released, nothing prepared us for what they had, in fact, been through. The amount of food they were given and the daily caloric intake, was akin to extreme starvation equal to that of Jews during the Holocaust.
3 View gallery Crowds in Tel Aviv protest the government's failure to release the hostages held in Gaza for nearly 8 months ( Photo: Dana Kopel ) Thus far there have been two groups released, one of women and children who were held for approximately 50 days and the second of older men who were freed in an IDF operation after 129 days in captivity. We can say definitively that the longer hostages are being held, the worse their condition. An examination of their nutritional and physical state cannot ignore the circumstances of their abduction and its trauma.
Some were kidnapped amid extreme violence, some were witness to the massacre that was unfolding around them, children were often separated from their parents or had witnessed them being hurt. Each journey would have a dramatic effect on the time in captivity. There is no denying that nutrition and emotional well-being are interconnected.
Eating depends on the mental and emotional state. What we have learned is that the hostages had al.
