An Israeli father expresses concern that his daughter, who is being held hostage, may have experienced sexual abuse

An Israeli father is deeply concerned that his 18-year-old daughter, who was held hostage in Gaza, may have been sexually abused by her captors. Eli Albag, the father, believes that the former hostages who spent time with his daughter knew about the abuse but chose not to tell him to spare him further distress. The anguish he is experiencing has left him feeling like a "dead man," and he can only cope by taking medication. Israel reports that more than 130 people are still missing following the attacks by Hamas on 7 October. While a six-day ceasefire in November led to the release of over 100 captives, some of them have reported being sexually assaulted. Mr. Albag, along with three other relatives of hostages, is currently in London to pressure the UK government to put pressure on Qatar, which is involved in negotiations for the hostages' release but also hosts senior Hamas leaders. They argue that Qatar must choose between hosting Hamas or being part of Western society. Mr. Albag describes his daughter as a happy young girl who loved music, dancing, and had friends all over the world. He struggles to sleep and speak, fearing what might be happening to her. Despite her physical safety being confirmed by released hostages, she spent 50 days in captivity with no access to basic necessities like food, water, fresh air, or electricity. Mr. Albag hopes for his daughter's safe return and expresses concern that other women between the ages of 18 and 30 have not been released. When he asked the former hostages about sexual abuse, they avoided the difficult questions. He understands their reluctance to speak about it, but still worries that something terrible has happened to these girls and finds it challenging to comprehend such acts of cruelty. Another alarming issue arising is the fear that some hostages may have been raped, and if so, it may soon be too late to terminate any resulting pregnancies. Mr. Albag shares this fear, recognizing the need to act quickly. In a meeting, Mr. Albag and the other Israelis handed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a dog tag reading "Bring them home" as a plea for their loved ones' return. Liran Berman, another attendee whose brothers are still being held hostage, emphasized that Qatar plays a significant role in securing their release. He called on Qatar to choose a side, either be part of Western civilization or continue hosting Hamas leaders. In response, a Qatari official expressed sympathy to the hostage families and reaffirmed their commitment to engage with all parties involved in achieving a resolution and reuniting the hostages with their families. Qatar has been actively working to secure the release of hostages since the start of the crisis, utilizing their communication channel with Hamas, which was established a decade ago with US coordination. So far, Qatar's efforts have led to the release of 109 hostages, and they have also secured an agreement to deliver medicine and aid to civilians in Gaza.