Doctor Describes 'Tears of Relief' as Hostages Arrive at Israeli Hospital

As the newly freed hostages from Gaza began their long road to recovery, Dr. Lena Feldman Koren, Deputy Director of Rabin Medical Center and head of its Beilinson Campus, shared an emotional and detailed glimpse into what she calls “a historic moment” in Israeli medicine and national healing.

“It is a combination of excitement, anxiety, and tears of relief,” she told Maariv on Tuesday. “Every member of the staff lives this event. There is no other way to describe it.”

Five of the 20 released hostages are currently being treated at Beilinson. Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Alon Ohel, Eitan Mor, Avinatan Or, and Evyatar David. Each arrived with severe physical and psychological wounds after enduring over 700 days in captivity under brutal conditions.

Koren and her team worked around the clock in the days leading up to their arrival, conducting intensive medical drills and preparing what they now call the “Returning Patients Department” a specially designed ward that looks more like a home than a hospital.

“Each returning patient has a private bedroom and an adjacent room for their family. It’s built to feel safe and warm,” Koren explained. But behind the soft lighting and home-like environment lies sophisticated medical infrastructure. “These rooms can convert into advanced medical centers at any moment.”

The effects of captivity, she said, are staggering. “Every organ in the body is affected by such prolonged underground conditions: no sunlight, minimal movement, starvation, and severe vitamin deficiencies.” Some patients are relearning how to eat. “We’re actually writing new chapters in medicine,” she said. “I pray no one will need to use ‘hostage medicine,’ but this is the reality.”

There’s no existing medical playbook for this, Koren admitted. “We base our treatment on past experience with POWs, like those from the Yom Kippur War, and what we’ve learned over the last two years.”

Each hostage is surrounded by a dedicated team: physician, nurse, dietitian, social worker, psychologist, and specialists across multiple disciplines from gastroenterology to endocrinology and psychiatry. Protocols are strict, including slow, monitored refeeding to avoid life-threatening complications.

“We give them control over their time,” she said. “No fixed ‘lights out.’ If they want to sleep, they sleep. If they want silence, we provide it. It’s their time now.”

Yet healing goes far beyond the physical. “Some hostages are silent. Others share. Families are coached not to pressure them, but simply to be present. It’s about building trust again.”

One of the most emotional moments for the staff came when childhood friends Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, who were held together during captivity, reunited on the ward. “The moment they hugged after two years with no words, just a look that’s a moment none of us will forget,” said Koren.

“We are the first phase in their healing journey,” she added. “And the significance is enormous. We are bringing them home to their families, to their bodies, to life itself.”

Help share their journey of healing. Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates from Israel’s frontlines.