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Israel’s Hospitals Prepare to Treat Hostages Being Released in Ceasefire Deal

Supporters of the kidnapped Israeli hostages hold torches at a protest to demand a deal to bring every hostage home at once, amid Gaza ceasefire negotiations, in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israel’s leading hospitals are preparing to receive and treat the hostages who are set to be released from Hamas captivity as part of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal agreed upon on Wednesday between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization.
American Friends of Rabin Medical Center (AFRMC) said in an email on Thursday to supporters of the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva that doctors at several of the hospital’s departments and similarly those at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center, which is located on Rabin Medical Center Campus, are on “high alert for the hopefully imminent release of the captives.”
“While the country waits with bated breath for their release, Rabin Medical Center has all hands on deck to prepare for the highest quality of care and treatment for these Israeli hostages,” AFRMC said.
According to Israel’s Health Ministry, the hostages will be treated at Sheba Medical Center, Sourasky Medical Center, Rabin Medical Center (including the Schneider Children’s Medical Center), or Shamir Medical Center. Hostages who need immediate treatment in serious conditions may also be treated at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba and Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Health Ministry’s medical division, noted that it has not been decided yet which hospital will receive the hostages first and that the decision will be made based on a hostage’s conditions, according to Israel Hayom.
The Israel Defense Forces said “Wings of Freedom” is the name given to the Israeli military’s preparations for the return of the hostages as part of the new ceasefire agreement.
Concerns regarding the variety of serious conditions that the released hostages might have include infectious diseases, lack of nutrition, and physical injuries.
“Lack of adequate water, food, air, and sunlight for such an extended period of time will also greatly affect these hostages recovery,” AFRMC added. “Many elements of their state of health, both mental and physical, is still in question. The hospital is preparing for a wide range of wounds, injuries, and ailments, as well as the psychological and emotional impact of being held hostage for over 14 months.”
The Schneider Children’s Medical Center is one of the few hospitals in Israel that focuses on treating the physical and psychological injuries of children. The Rabin Medical Center has one of the only rehabilitation centers with a full-time specialized medical staff that is dedicated to treating victims of war. The hospital also has an emergency trauma fund accepting donations from the public that will help support trauma and psychological treatment for returning hostages; emergency orthopedic surgery equipment and supplies; trauma training for medical staff members; and rehabilitation equipment and supplies.
In November 2023, Israeli Health Ministry officials created guidelines for treating hostages returning home who were abducted by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists during the deadly massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. That protocol has “since been further developed” after the initial group of released hostages were treated by the Rabin Medical Center, AFRMC said. The guidelines include a “timeline of hospitalization, re-introduction to society, family visits, and psychological care.”
A senior level social services manager at a central hospital in Israel, who has treated hostages previously released by Hamas since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, explained to Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth how this hostage release will be different than previous ones.
“We understand that we’re dealing with unprecedented challenges,” she said. “The hostages from the previous deal were held for a relatively short period, but this time we’re talking about people who have been in captivity for a year and three months. Their psychological and physical state is likely far more complex. It’s reasonable to assume they’ve endured greater despair, harsher conditions, and more severe impacts on their physical health.”
“We’re aware that they will likely be exposed to an overwhelming amount of information, and based on past experiences, we’ve learned that hostages often return with misinformation or under the influence of psychological warfare,” she added. “Therefore, we anticipate a process of reconnecting with reality but approach it gradually and in a way tailored to their needs.”
Hamas and Israel reached a ceasefire-hostage exchange deal that is set to take effect on Sunday, according to senior officials who helped broker the agreement. During the first phase of the deal, Hamas will over six weeks release 33 of the 98 remaining hostages who have been help captive in the Gaza Strip for 15 months. In exchange, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinians prisoners, who were largely detained for involvement in terrorist activities.
Hamas is expected to free three hostages on the first day of the ceasefire and then another four on the seventh day. The US-designated terrorist organization will then make weekly releases and by the end of the phase, all living women, children, and older people held hostage in Gaza should be freed. The deal also includes the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip.
The post Israel’s Hospitals Prepare to Treat Hostages Being Released in Ceasefire Deal first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.