In an unprecedented step underscoring a serious medical danger facing the captives held by Hamas, Israel’s Coordinator for the Captives and Missing, Brigadier General (res.) Gal Hirsch, has officially asked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to instruct the terror group on how to properly feed the hostages before their release. Hirsch presented the request this morning during a meeting with Jülien Larridon, the head of the ICRC delegation in Israel.
The concern focuses on the potentially fatal condition known as refeeding syndrome — a severe complication that can occur when people who have endured prolonged starvation suddenly consume large amounts of food. According to Israeli health officials, Hamas reportedly overfed several captives just before their release in the previous exchange, leading to fears that this could happen again. The abrupt reintroduction of calories and nutrients can cause dangerous electrolyte imbalances and even cardiac arrest.
To prevent such outcomes, Hirsch handed Larridon a detailed document prepared by the Israeli Ministry of Health, outlining the specific dietary protocols necessary for safely reintroducing nutrition to malnourished captives. The ICRC said it would make every effort to deliver these critical medical instructions to Hamas.
The move was prompted by accounts from hostages freed in the earlier exchange, who described being given excessively large meals by their captors only hours before being handed over.
In addition, Hirsch requested that Red Cross personnel — who will be the first to meet the hostages following their transfer — arrive at the exchange site fully equipped with medical supplies and trained staff to provide immediate treatment if required.
The meeting also addressed logistical coordination for the upcoming operation, as the current framework being discussed involves the release of 48 live hostages as well as the retrieval of the bodies of several deceased captives from various locations throughout the Gaza Strip — a process that will require complex, carefully synchronized planning.
These discussions come as Hamas prepares for renewed negotiations in Egypt. A Hamas source told Al Arabiya that the group has started gathering the remains of deceased Israeli captives and has requested a temporary halt to airstrikes to complete the effort. The source added that while the release of the living hostages would take place in one stage, the recovery and transfer of the bodies “will take some time.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
