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Care and Healthcare Benefits for Captivity Survivors

Entitlements
Ms. Sharon Rothschild, MSc, Mental Health Division, Ministry of Health
20 October 2025

The Ministry of Health has created a complete treatment plan for survivors of captivity from the events of October 7 and their families, recognizing that captivity can have long-lasting physical and emotional effects.

  • Immediate treatment: This includes being admitted to a specific facility with a team of specialists – doctors, trauma psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nutritionists. The process involves thorough evaluations, necessary treatments, emotional and social support, and nutritional advice.
  • Transition to the community: Freed hostages are assigned a coordinating nurse from the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) to help them manage their health care. Support may include home visits, testing, coordinating medical appointments, and more. The hospitals where they were admitted continue to provide treatment and follow-up care if needed. Immediate family members are entitled to support from the HMOs to help address their medical needs and maximize available treatment.
  • Emotional care: The Ministry of Health advises that freed hostages and their families receive emotional support through professional services offered by hospital teams, National Insurance therapists, and community clinics.

Freed hostages and their families have access to a variety of professionals, including a team leader and a case manager from the Hostages Administration. They also have additional benefits available to them, such as financial aid, job rehabilitation support, alternative therapies, and more, provided by different government agencies.

For more information, visit the Hostages Administration website (Hebrew).

On October 7, 2023, 251 people, mostly civilians, were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. The trauma of being kidnapped and held captive can have deep and lasting effects, often requiring professional treatment and ongoing support from different specialists.

The Israeli healthcare system has set up a thorough response for survivors of captivity and their families, understanding that being held captive can lead to long-term physical and emotional issues. The aim of this support is to provide professional, comprehensive, accessible, empathetic, and personalized care.

Medical Care from Release to Community Reintegration

Hospital Admission

The Ministry of Health has created a detailed protocol for admitting survivors of captivity. The main idea is that the healthcare system approaches this process with a sense of mission, commitment to excellence, professionalism, and humility. Care includes several important components:

  • Dedicated Treatment Area: Each survivor is welcomed in a quiet, private area that allows for personalized care alongside family or companions. The space includes both general areas for group gatherings and private spaces for rest and recovery.

  • Special Multidisciplinary Team: Each survivor receives support from a team that consists of:

    • A primary physician and consulting doctors from various specialties.

    • A psychiatrist who specializes in trauma care.

    • A psychologist and a social worker.

    • A nutritionist to address malnutrition and prevent refeeding syndrome, which can occur after rapid feeding following starvation or prolonged food deprivation.

    • A forensic physician to document and collect medical evidence (with consent) that may be used in future legal cases.

  • Comprehensive Tests: These tests include complete blood work, screenings for infectious diseases, nutritional assessments (including vitamins and minerals), toxicology tests, and any additional tests as needed.

Transition to Community Care – Ensuring Continuity

To ensure seamless care between hospital and community services, each survivor receives personal support and guidance after leaving the hospital:

  • Personal Care Coordination Nurse: Each survivor is assigned a coordinating nurse from their health maintenance organization (HMO), whose responsibilities include:

    • Making home visits as necessary.

    • Coordinating between rehabilitation and mental health services.

    • Helping to schedule medical appointments and accompanying survivors to visits.

    • Arranging for medication delivery and conducting follow-up tests.

    • Providing guidance and additional support as needed.

  • Ongoing Hospital Follow-Up: The hospital team continues to check on the survivor's medical and mental health through phone calls or in-person visits, depending on the survivor's preference, occurring two weeks, one month, and then every three months for up to a year after release.

  • Dedicated Clinics for Survivors: Hospitals are setting up multidisciplinary clinics that offer comprehensive follow-up care while maintaining continuity with the team that supported the survivor during their hospital stay.

Mental health care and psychosocial support

Principles of Mental Health Care

How to Get Mental Health Care

You can access these services in a few ways:

  • Contact the coordinating nurse at your HMO.

  • Reach out to the National Insurance Institute to claim your right to psychological treatment.

  • Work with the social worker who assisted you at the hospital to arrange treatment.

  • Visit the hospital's returnee clinic for treatment.

 

Personal care

This service is available through:

Multidisciplinary clinics

Their goal is to help treat serious symptoms that impact everyday life. Treatment at these clinics will be provided by a team of professionals from different fields with expertise in trauma, including psychology, psychiatry, and social work.

Developmental support for children

This service is for boys and girls up to age 9, including those who have had developmental challenges in the past. It will continue until they turn 18. The process starts with a meeting with a developmental psychologist and a developmental doctor to create a personal treatment plan. If needed, the health plan will provide access to various treatments from a team of health professionals, such as speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nutrition counseling.

Social Benefits and Other Entitlements

Captivity survivors are entitled to a variety of benefits and rights, including:

  • Disability benefits and related benefits.
  • Financial assistance and special benefits.
  • Rehabilitation and support services.

For additional details and to check for eligibility: visit the National Insurance Institute website or call the hotline *6050

  • Family support services.
  • Specialized social work support.
  • Services for children and family members.

More details on the Ministry of Welfare website

  • Employment and education benefits.
  • Tax benefits and financial support.
  • Legal assistance as needed.

More information about entitlements on the Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters website (Hebrew)

Support for Families of Hostages and Missing Persons

  • Special support teams
  • Representation in the hostages and missing persons administration
  • Personal HMO contacts
  • Full personal customization
  • Available and accessible information
  • Special support teams: Teams that understand the unique needs of the families of hostages and missing persons. These teams operate at all levels of the healthcare system.
  • Representation in the Hostages and Missing Persons Administration: Ministry of Health representatives assist with exercising rights and receiving rapid, personalized medical care.
  • Personal contacts at the HMOs: HMOs have appointed dedicated contacts for first-degree family members, who can be approached directly and quickly for medical needs.
  • Full personal adaptation: All available services have been tailored to the complex needs of the families, with medical discretion and special sensitivity to their situation.
  • Available and accessible information: The Ministry of Health website provides updated information on rights during wartime, emotional support, and coping with anxiety.

Recovering from captivity takes time and patience. It's important to know that there's no single "right" way to cope, and everyone deserves support that meets their unique needs and preferences.

The Ministry of Health views the families of hostages and returnees as a source of inspiration and strength. They are committed to providing these families with the best medical care possible.

The healthcare system is always working to improve services to ensure that every survivor of captivity and their family members receive the care and support they need. These services are customized to individual choices and adjusted to each person's pace.

We will keep holding onto hope and faith for the return of all hostages, and we are dedicated to providing the best care and support for everyone in need.

Emergency contact numbers

General information and assistance hotlines:

  • Ministry of Health hotline: *5400
  • National Insurance hotline: *6050
  • Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs hotline: *6696

In case of emotional distress: List of mental health hotlines