Released Hostages Face Lingering Trauma, Families Grapple With Political Exploitation of Grief
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Released hostages are struggling with severe trauma, including guilt and phobias, challenging perceptions of their return to normalcy. Families of the fallen are also dealing with the politicization of grief, which they see as hindering national unity.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Released hostages face ongoing trauma, nightmares, and guilt.
- Public perception of hostages as celebrities ignores their deep struggles.
- Survivors develop phobias, like fear of enclosed spaces, from captivity.
- Families of the fallen are pained by the political exploitation of the October 7th tragedy.
- Politicization of grief hinders national unity and solace for bereaved families.
Three years after the October 7th attacks, survivors of Hamas captivity and families of those killed continue to live with profound trauma, challenging any notion of a return to normalcy. In a special podcast episode, Shir Segal and Orit Mark Ettinger shared painful realities faced by those affected.
Segal, whose mother Aviva was released from Hamas captivity, addressed public perceptions that returning hostages have become celebrities. She emphasized that this view ignores the daily struggles, nightmares, and the need for extensive rehabilitation and privacy that survivors endure. Segal revealed that her mother, who was held in Hamas tunnels, experiences intense guilt, blaming herself for choosing to live in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which was attacked on October 7th. Simple actions like entering an elevator now trigger severe anxiety for her mother due to the claustrophobia developed in the tunnels.
Orit Mark Ettinger, whose father Michael, brother Pedahya, and cousin Elhanan Kalmanzon were killed, expressed deep frustration over the politicization of mourning for the October 7th victims. Ettinger, who marks her family's deaths on the Hebrew calendar, contrasted this with the public's focus on the Gregorian date of October 7th. She lamented how the national tragedy has become a tool for political infighting, hindering national unity and making it harder for bereaved families to find solace. Ettinger urged Israelis to live together harmoniously and recognize their shared responsibility for public discourse, drawing a parallel to the unified national consensus surrounding Holocaust remembrance.