Hamas drugged released hostages to make them appear happy and calm: Israel Health Ministry

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, December 07, 2023

A couple with children looks at portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas terrorists, on billboards in Jerusalem as a truce between Israel and Hamas entered its second day on November 25, 2023. Hamas is expected to release another 14 Israeli hostages in exchange for 42 Palestinian prisoners on November 25, as part of a four-day truce in their seven-week war. | JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas drugged the hostages it freed during the temporary ceasefire to make them appear calm and happy as they were handed over to the Red Cross after spending more than 50 days in captivity, according to officials from Israel’s Health Ministry.

Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the health ministry’s medical division, spoke about the drugs Hamas used on the released hostages during a Knesset Health Committee discussion Tuesday.

As The Jewish News Syndicate reported, Mizrahi said that Hamas administered to the freed captives a drug known as clonazepam, which is otherwise known by its brand name Klonopin or Clonex, as it’s called in Israel.

According to MedlinePlus, clonazepam is often used to relieve panic attacks or control certain types of seizures. Some of the potential health risks associated with the medication include memory problems, sleep issues, difficulty concentrating and unusual movements.

JNS notes that Mizrahi did not specify whether evidence of the hostages having been drugged was confirmed through blood tests after their release or from the hostages themselves.

Hamas gave the captives a larger meal than usual before releasing them, as hospitals have reported many of the freed hostages appeared to have suffered severe weight loss, the outlet relayed.

Hamas abducted around 240 people during its Oct. 7 attack on Israeli communities near the Gaza border, killing at least 1,200 others and injuring thousands.

During the temporary truce, Hamas released 81 Israeli hostages, 23 Thais and one Filipino, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners or detainees held for crimes ranging from rioting to attempted terror stabbings.

The daughter of one of the freed hostages, Shir Siegel, also spoke during the committee about the conditions her mother faced while a captive of Hamas. Siegel’s father is still being held hostage, according to JNS.

“My mother came back with testimonies that I can’t hear. I can’t hear her talking about the fact that they were handcuffed, that they were abused,” Siegel said.

Knesset member Yonatan Mashriki urged the ministry to send medical reports and evidence that Hamas drugged the hostages to other health organizations around the world, according to The Times of Israel.

Israel Defense Forces resumed combat operations in the Gaza Strip last week after the truce — which lasted from Nov. 24 until Dec. 1 — broke down. The U.S. government blamed Hamas, a terror group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, for the truce breakdown because it failed to provide a list of additional hostages to release.

Last week, both sides blamed each other for violating the ceasefire agreement.

In response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, Israel has launched airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza in a bid to eradicate Hamas and free hostages. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says that over 17,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the two months since the fighting began.

During a Tuesday press conference at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel remains committed to securing the hostages’ return through “a combination of a ground incursion of unprecedented strength and a continuous diplomatic effort.”

Netanyahu said the Israeli military "eliminated" the commander of the Sajaiya Battalion, which broke through the border fence and committed atrocities on communities. He also added that Israel has destroyed around half of Hamas’ battalion commanders.

“We are settling accounts with all those who abducted, with all those who were involved, and with all those who murdered, massacred, raped and burned the daughters and sons of our people,” Netanyahu said. “We will neither forgive nor forget.”

Multiple reports have emerged of Hamas using rape as a weapon of war against Israeli women and girls, and Israel’s government has collected more than 1,500 testimonies from people who witnessed Hamas raping and sexually assaulting women on Oct. 7.

The Israeli Prime Minister added that the IDF is expanding its ground operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and has taken control of the Hamas General Security base.

“We will ensure that there will be no element there that supports terrorism, educates for terrorism, and finances terrorism and the terrorists' families,” he said, calling for the demilitarization of Gaza by the IDF.

“I say here to our friends in the world who are pressing for a quick end to the war: Our only way to end the war, and end it quickly, is to apply crushing pressure against Hamas — and destroy it,” Netanyahu continued. “If our friends want to help shorten the war, which is also their war against the barbarism that threatens to engulf the world, they simply need to stand steadfast alongside us.”

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman