Countdown to Freedom & A New Chance at Life?

During the last few days our returning hostages medical facility has been spruced up in anticipation of a deal in which Hamas would allegedly release dozens of ‘living’ hostages in a multi-phased operation over a still to be determined time frame.

While we are all waiting with baited breath to see what truly transpires in Qatar, there are certain stark realities that our medical staff will have to deal with and have been diligently preparing for over the last few months.

After over a year in captivity in harsh conditions, no one knows what kind of physical and mental maladies the medical staff will be dealing with. Our medical doctors and psychiatric staff have already rewritten the medical book at least twice based on previous hostage releases, but they have never faced a situation where human beings have been held in such hellish conditions above and below ground in cold, damp tunnels over an extended period of time. And yet, everyone is prepared to do their utmost to make them feel comfortable in a warm and loving setting inside Sheba once they are freed.

Parallel to these never-ending negotiations, rescue helicopters continue to bring many wounded soldiers from Gaza, where the war with Hamas and other terror groups shows little sign of winding down. The rehabilitation wards at Sheba are as busy now, as they were in the beginning of the war. In this week’s edition, you will read about how we continue to repair the bodies and souls of our brave warriors.

We pray for the release of all of the hostages and a gradual end to the horrific violence, which has cost the lives of so many of our citizens and soldiers.