A member of the hostage team said there was a “high probability that many of the hostages are sick.” Photo: Getty Images Europe
A mysterious deadly fungus in Hamas' network of tunnels poses a new threat to 136 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, Israeli officials said.
A member of the Israeli hostage team, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “There is a deadly fungus in the tunnels that has no cure.”
“There are Hamas members there. are now more immune to it, but there is a high probability that many hostages will become sick and their health will deteriorate due to this fungus,” the official said.
Dr. Hagai Levin, head of the medical group of the Hostage Families Forum, said that the testimony of those released confirms the fears of medical workers.
“We know that several hostages were seriously injured when they were taken hostage, and we do not know if they were treated properly. Some of those who return require long-term antibiotic treatment for infections that can still be life-threatening, exacerbated by fungus in the tunnels,” he explained.
The fungus claimed the life of an Israeli soldier
It is believed that The fungus has already claimed the life of at least one Israeli soldier.
Last month, Ichilov Hospital confirmed that a soldier who was seriously injured during fighting in the Gaza Strip had died from a fungal infection. The Israeli Defense Forces say they are investigating the matter.
So far, Israeli medical teams have been unable to either cure the fungal infection or determine what type of fungus is causing it.
Alert to Israeli hostage team comes after a report showed almost twice as many people die from fungal infections every year than previously thought.
A study published in the Lancet Infectioushoods Journal found that 3.75 million deaths can be attributed to fungal infections, which account for about six percent of all global deaths each year.
The revised global death toll is much higher. than previous estimates, which suggested that fungal infections kill up to two million people every year. year.
There are millions of different types of mushrooms on the planet that people regularly encounter in everyday life. The vast majority of people are immune to these infections and do not get sick.
But many of the hostages are believed to be in poor condition: many were seen taken away by Hamas terrorists with serious, open wounds, and the conditions inside the poorly ventilated tunnels mean many of them may be at particular risk of fungal infection.
< p>“If you have open wounds, you are at high risk of contracting infections that can be life-threatening,” Dr. Levine said.
Hamas terrorists may have fought back
On the other hand, Hamas terrorists may have been able to create resistance to infection through repeated exposure.
“Someone who is trained and accustomed to these tunnels can create immunity,” he explained. “But this environment threatens the lives of the hostages.”
In addition to the threat posed by the fungal infection, an Israeli health ministry source warned that the hostages also faced a growing risk of execution.
Although Hamas claims that several hostages died as a result of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, “there are several bodies of hostages brought home by Israel who were executed with multiple shots, just like we saw the victims on October 7,” the source said.
< p> “This is not a bombing – this is not a bombing. they execute hostages.”
A member of the hostage team said Israeli intelligence also suggested executions were increasing as Hamas lost control of much of the Gaza Strip.
“We don’t know the numbers, but we know that there are hostages killed. Hamas does not care whether they are alive or dead,” the source said.
The 34 hostages could have been executed.
Israel now believes that as many as 34 hostages may have been summarily executed. their Hamas captors, a government source told the Telegraph.
On October 7, more than 240 people, most of them civilians, were taken hostage after the Hamas attacks.
The hostages included the elderly and children remain key collateral for Hamas.
One Israeli intelligence source called the prisoners “an iron dome for Hamas,” referring to Israel's missile defense systems against air attacks. attacks.
Hamas leaders, the source said, “are surrounding themselves with hostages because they know this makes the operation much more difficult for Israel, but at the same time they need a ceasefire.”
Binyamin Netanyahu comes under increasing pressure to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
Israel's prime minister found himself in hot water this week when a member of his war cabinet broke ranks and accused him of misleading Israelis by declaring that “absolute victory” over Hamas was a real possibility.
Gadi Eizenkot, a former army chief whose son was killed in the Gaza Strip last month, also said the only way to bring the hostages home was through a ceasefire. refuting claims by Mr Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that only military pressure on Hamas will ensure their freedom.
Pressure for a new round of truce talks has permeated Israeli society.
' ;Feelings that we are stuck'
“There is a feeling that we are stuck and it is the government's responsibility to find a solution that brings them home,” Dr. Levine said.
“The same government that was on duty at the time of the abduction hostages, should not leave them wounded in the Gaza Strip. It should do everything possible to free them.”
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