Freed Israeli Hostages Still Had Shrapnel in Their Bodies From Oct. 7 Attack

TEL AVIV—Some of the Israeli women released by Hamas over the past two weeks still had shrapnel in their bodies from untreated wounds they suffered in the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, according to an Israeli medical official, as the first details emerged on the condition of hostages held for 15 months.

The seven women received poor medical care while in captivity and now face complex mental-health issues, said Col. Avi Benov, the deputy chief of Israel’s military medical corps, who added that some of them spent eight months in tunnels. The women—three civilians and four soldiers—are suffering from malnutrition and metabolic problems, he said.