Israeli hostages impregnated by Hamas terrorists to receive financial, psychological help: Report

Israeli hostages currently in the captivity of Hamas inside the Gaza Strip who have gotten pregnant after being raped by the terrorists will have to decide whether to keep their baby or not upon their release, according to a report in NY Post.

Officials at Israel's Ministries of Welfare and Health are busy chalking up plans to deal with the possibility of unwanted pregnancies. The sexually abused hostageswill receive medical and psychological help through a carefully curated programmebeing jointly developed with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Usually, a pregnancy termination committee determines whether to grant an abortion request or not in Israel. However, the officials are hoping to bypass the step to reduce the red tape in cases of pregnant captives.

Currently, more than 130 Israeli civilians are under Hamas captivity and according to Chen Almog-Goldstein, 49, who was released after 50 days by the terror outfit, several young female hostages have stopped menstruating.

“There are girls who have not gotten their period in a long time. Perhaps we all have to pray that their bodies protect them and they won’t get pregnant from rape,” Chen told the Israeli parliament, the Knesset on Tuesday (Jan 23).

The primary concern for Israeli authorities remains that if the women are not released in time, it would be too late for them to terminate the pregnancy.In the absence of another truce deal, it looks highly unlikely that there will be a prisoner swap anytime soon.

ALSO WATCH |Israel-Hamas war | Hamas armed-wing spokesman: Fate of many hostages unknown

SOP in place

Despite the uncertainty, the Wolfson Hospital in the city of Holon has already developed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the freed female captives.

After being admitted, which is the first stage, the medical team will examine them for injuries and if found pregnant the fetus's development will be assessed.

In the next stage, they will be provided emotional and psychological guidance to deal with the trauma. Afterwards, they will have to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy if it is safe, or bring the infant to life.

The females who decide to have the baby will be given financial, legal and mental health support from the government.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.