Professor Ronit Endevelt, the head of the nutrition department of Israel’s Health Ministry’s, told the Knesset on Tuesday that Hamas drugged hostages before releasing them.
Endevelt claimed that the drugs were administered so that the freed hostages “would look happy,” The Jerusalem Post reported. (RELATED: Relative Claims Hamas Branded Israeli Hostages And Drugged Them)
Live update: Hamas drugged freed Gaza hostages to make them seem calm and happy — Health Ministry https://t.co/JOkxUDej3x . Click to read ⬇️
— TOI ALERTS (@TOIAlerts) December 5, 2023
This issue was raised when Knesset member Moshe Saada commented during the hearing that he had heard from the hostages’ families that “they were given all kinds of pills so that they feel high,” the Jewish Insider reported.
Endevelt also said the hostages were given food prior to release so they would look healthier, but that doctors found that most of the hostages had lost weight during their captivity, the outlet noted.
Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, who has headed the General Medicine Division of Israel’s health ministry since 2021, stated that the drugs the hostages were forced to take appear to have been tranquilizers like clonazepam (often known by the brand name Klonopin), The Times of Israel reported.
Mizrahi told the parliament that preliminary medical information of the freed hostages was collected before the captives returned to Israel, The Jerusalem Post noted. Mizrahi also said that additional medical information was gleaned from conversations with the freed hostages upon their return, according to the outlet.
“We immediately checked whether there was a need for immediate and specific mental-health treatment, while transferring responsibility later to the community health clinics. In addition, war crimes were documented by forensic doctors,” Mizrahi told the parliament, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Yoni Mashriki, the parliamentary committee chairman, called for the ministry to publish the data behind this revelation and write a report to global health organizations about these findings, the outlet noted.