As part of the Ministry of Health’s care for former hostages and their families, Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, Head of the Medical Division, today issued special guidelines to HMOs regarding ongoing care for former hostages, their families, and the families of hostages who were returned deceased to Israel. The letter notes that “kidnapping, captivity, and the associated traumatic events have a profound and lasting impact on the physical and mental health of former hostages, as observed in practice and documented in research on the health of former captives.”
These guidelines build directly on the protocol for receiving former hostages upon their return, which established a uniform standard across the health system for care of former hostages and their families, detailing immediate medical, psychological, and logistical support while emphasizing privacy, personalized care, and continuity of community-based treatment.
The letter also notes that “these events have a significant impact on the health of family members. These effects are present across different circles of closeness, including the families of hostages who were returned deceased.”
The Ministry of Health guidelines specify that care for former hostages will continue to rely on personalized medical and psychosocial support, adapted to their changing needs throughout recovery and rehabilitation. All former hostages will continue to receive support from a dedicated care-coordinating nurse who will serve as the central point for care across HMO services, outpatient clinics for former hostages, hospitalization services, and additional support providers. HMOs are instructed to provide the nurse with a professional team available for consultation and referrals, including a primary care physician and social worker, to ensure tailored support, shared decision-making, and treatment as needed.
For the families of living former hostages and deceased hostages, the guidelines state that because family members are considered a potentially vulnerable population needing ongoing support even after returning to routine life, HMOs must continue to provide a dedicated professional contact for the first circle of relatives. This includes assigning dedicated personnel for coordination, removing barriers, and reducing bureaucratic burdens. Families should be proactively supported in returning to a structured health routine, including follow-up contact, invitations for periodic checkups, ongoing medical monitoring, coordination with relevant care providers, and assistance in accessing full rights within the healthcare and social security systems.
The guidelines also address what are defined as “documented key supporters”—family members or close support figures outside the first circle of relatives who have carried the ongoing burden of support, assistance, and functioning around the former hostage or their immediate family and have experienced functional, psychological, or health impacts related to this period. HMOs are instructed to provide expedited access to professional assessment and focused initial mental health/emotional support through available HMO frameworks for these individuals.
Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, Head of the Ministry of Health Medical Division: “HMOs play a central role in promoting healthy routines, prevention, and tailored rehabilitation responses. We found it necessary to establish guidelines for ongoing care for former hostages, their families, and the families of hostages returned deceased—and to share these with HMOs. We will continue to work with HMOs to promote tailored support as needed and to accompany the gradual return to health, functionality, and everyday life.”