Some of the hostages released from Gaza in the current ceasefire were held in Hamas tunnels for up to eight consecutive months, deprived of daylight and with little to no human contact, an IDF medical officer said on Monday according to a Reuters report. “Some of them told us that they’ve been in the past few months, that they’ve been through the entire time, in tunnels, underground,” deputy chief of the Israeli military’s medical corps, Colonel Dr. Avi Banov, told journalists. “Some of them were alone through the entire time they were there,” he said. “Those who said they were together were in better physical shape.” Banov added that some of the hostages showed signs of “mild starvation.” The hostages said their treatment improved in the days leading up to their release, Banov said. They were allowed to shower, change their clothes and received better food. Citing the hostages’ privacy, Banov refused to answer whether any of the seven bore signs of torture or abuse. Some had not received proper treatment for wounds sustained when they were shot and abducted during the Hamas October 7 attack, he added. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)