Israeli medics are bracing for the strong possibility that some of the women held hostage by Hamas may have been raped and impregnated by their captors.
Experts and medical centers across Israel are holding internal discussions on how to approach the physical and emotional state of female hostages who may be several weeks pregnant following the October 7 attack by Hamas, the Hebrew publication Maariv reported.
“I’m not sure how they will cope, but we must prepare now for the possibility of this horrible theory of a woman conceiving or raising such a child. Therefore, we must stop this cruelty, not allow the captives to perish there, bring them back, and give them care,” said Prof. Tal Biron-Shental, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, told the outlet. .
Depending on the circumstances of conception and the age of the mother, pregnant women in Israel can apply to terminate the pregnancy up until the moment of birth, according to the Ministry of Health.
While early-stage abortions involve removing the pregnancy using oral medication, later-term terminations require a high-risk procedure to stop the fetal heart activity with a syringe, Maariv said.
Israelis walk through an installation that mimics the tunnels in Gaza where hostages are believed to be held. AP
Without immediate medical care, women who may become pregnant while in Hamas captivity face possible medical complications from late-term abortions, as well as health risks incurred by the immunosuppression that occurs during pregnancy, the outlet said.
Victims will also have to struggle with the psychological effects of their condition.
“The task of terminating an advanced pregnancy becomes increasingly complex and challenging as the days of confinement grow,” Prof. Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israel Association of Public Health Physicians and head of the medical department of the Captive Families Headquarters, told the outlet.
Experts fear the female hostages may have been raped by their captors and become pregnant. ZUMAPRESS.com
“Stress, a polluted environment, and the absence of medical supervision increase the complications and dangers of pregnancy for the mother, even before considering the dire psychological aspects,” she continued.
“We have been pressing for a long time with requests to allow medical examinations and drug transfers. If there is a captive woman who, God forbid, becomes pregnant from rape, it is imperative to bring her home immediately,” Levine concluded.
Sunday marked 100 days since October 7, when more than 200 people were kidnapped from southern Israel by Hamas terrorists and taken to the Gaza Strip, where they were held hostage in the terror group’s labyrinth of underground tunnels.
International protests have demanded the return of the hostages. ZUMAPRESS.com
Some 136 hostages are still believed to be held in Gaza, and preliminary investigations suggest that the female victims may have been raped during the initial attack and in custody.
Last week, sources close to both camps hinted that Israel and Hamas were making progress in talks to deliver medicine to hostages in Gaza – but the comments did not specifically mention the potential prenatal source.
“The human brain struggles to understand the situation of captives in captivity that must deal not only with pregnancy but also with the fact that it has been inspired through brutal rape by murderous terrorists,” added Biron-Shental.
A woman holds a poster of one of the women kidnapped by Hamas. Thomas Krych/ZUMA/SplashNews.com
“Having an abortion is a procedure that we are all familiar with and skilled at. However, the main challenge that the government has to deal with now is the terrible and terrifying psychological trauma. A pregnant woman, feeling the movement of the fetus and with a visibly enlarged belly, naturally attaches to the fetus,” he said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
