Families of released, rescued hostages will not receive psychological assistance from state

The state will stop funding psychological assistance to the families of hostages who have returned from captivity, N12 reported Friday. 

Though the families impacted may have their loved one back home physically, many still require the mental health assistance for sustained trauma. Hostages and their families have dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder and have struggled to cope with the terrors of wondering if they will ever reunite with the kidnapped, and what horrors they lived through.

"They informed us that as of the end of October, there will be no more psychological funding for the children of hostages," a daughter of a former hostage remarked to N12. "I only started my therapy in March; the absurdity is that I couldn't even begin treatment while my mother was in captivity because of the struggle I had to manage. And now that I've finally started, they've announced that it's over."

She noted to N12 that the Hostage and Missing Families’ Forum said it would see if the organization could provide the financial assistance. However, she said that "it's important" for her that the state pays for it. "For me, this means that the state is taking responsibility for its neglect," she explained.

There was previously no decision to finance psychological treatment for families of abductees, N12's report said. When the war began, a law was put in place to assist families of Gaza captives, but the law had a twist.

Only entitled to help as long as relative was still captive

They were only entitled to mental health help while their relative was still captive - once released or rescued, they would lose the benefit. This applied to immediate family members, young adults over 18, and spouses alike, the report said, keeping them from receiving state-sponsored psychological treatment.

NII has delayed the decision on whether to provide mental health care to family members of ex-hostages and has continued to provide financial assistance, but at the end of October, aid stopped.

Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar responded to the N12 report on X, denouncing the decision.

לא יתכן שמשפחות החטופים השבים, המהווים עוגן משמעותית בחייהם בדרך לשיקום, לא יקבלו תמיכה מהמדינה. הם הכתובת הראשונה לסיפורי הזוועה וזקוקים לכלים להכיל את יקריהם שעוד מתאקלמים ל״שגרה״ בצל הטראומה בחלוף פחות משנה. רק ממשלה ערלת לב לא תבין זאת ותפסיק להן את הסיוע הנפשי. בכוונתי… pic.twitter.com/lpYtvRU0vh

— קארין אלהרר | Karine Elharrar️ (@KElharrar) October 31, 2024

"It is unacceptable that the families of the returning hostages, who are a significant anchor in their lives on the road to rehabilitation, do not receive support from the state," she stated.

"They are the first point of contact for stories of horror and need tools to cope with their loved ones who are still adjusting to 'normalcy' in the shadow of trauma less than a year later," she continued.

"Only a heartless government would not understand this and would cut off their mental health assistance," she noted. She added that she intends to address this issue with the Health Minister.