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Source: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-hamas-hostages-personal-stories-0cbdca78?mod=mhp
Released Gaza Hostages Face Long, Wrenching Recoveries
(Wall Street Journal) Carrie Keller-Lynn - Interviews with three Israeli hostages who were released more than a year ago, as well as with family members of others and psychologists who are treating former captives, indicate that many released hostages struggle with physical and psychological aftereffects. "I don't sleep much at night anymore," said Luis Har, 71, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. "Many times, a noise - a motorcycle or an ambulance - takes you right back. You have to tell your body that you are here, you aren't there." Mia Schem, 22, said, "People think you are out, you are safe, and that it's over, but it's not. Every day is a battle to get up and fight." She said she vividly recalls piles of dead bodies at the Nova music festival. Schem was shot in the arm. Her elbow was destroyed. Four surgeries later, her right arm is a few inches shorter than her left. Moran Stela Yanai, 41, said she can't tolerate being indoors or in a closed room for more than a few minutes. Yanai lost much of her hearing in captivity and now wears hearing aids. Both of her legs were broken during her kidnapping, and she has had multiple surgeries on them since her release.