The health of 84-year-old Elma Avraham, who was freed from Hamas captivity on Sunday, remains critical and her life is at risk. Her son, Uri Ravitz, has taken to Facebook to share posts asking for prayers for his mother. Among his posts, he wrote, "Sending prayers up to the heavens."
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Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, where Elma Avraham was transferred upon her release, updated on her condition Monday morning. "She is hospitalized in the general intensive care unit and her life is still in danger," it was reported. Her family held a press conference at the hospital, where the director of Soroka reported that her condition had deteriorated in captivity due to lack of proper care.
The deputy director of the hospital, Dr. Tzachi Slutski, said, "Elma was transferred to us yesterday from Hamas captivity after being kidnapped for more than 50 days. She was admitted in a very serious condition with all vital signs such as pulse, blood pressure and temperature very low. She suffers from many underlying conditions and received regular medication before being taken captive.
"It is clear to us that if there had been any further delay in her transfer, it would have worsened her condition. She is intubated and sedated in the general intensive care unit. The teams at Soroka continue to fight for her life. We are also supporting the family members with constant emotional support from social workers."
Elma's daughter, Tal Amano, said, "We waited 52 days for my mom. She's 84 years old, a grandmother, a great-grandmother. She's always been so cheerful and positive. She even rode out of her house on a motorcycle, in style. She didn't have a personal caregiver or a foreign caretaker, she could take care of herself at home and even cook for herself. Yes, it's true she's got some health issues, like thyroid and heart disease, but all her conditions were under control.
"Just a week ago, we were able to share the great news with her about expecting a new great-granddaughter and her grandson's upcoming wedding. She was so connected to everyone in the Nahal Oz community. They let her down back then, and now they've let her down when it comes to her health.
"We were happy to see who genuinely came back to her with open arms and a real smile, and who was just doing it because they had to. My mom didn't deserve to come back this way. She was completely neglected medically the whole time she was held captive. They didn't give her the medicines that could have saved her life. She came back to us just a few hours before she was taken away from us.
"I can tell you that when she arrived, her pulse was only 40 and she had a temperature of just 82.4°, she was unconscious and all bruised up. They let her down twice. Once on October 7, and again by all the organizations that should have saved her and stopped this from happening. I hope they don't manage to break her - my mom is a strong woman."
Amano also had strong words for the Red Cross. "We pulled ourselves together real quick, managed to get her medication list together, and they made our lives really tough. They personally brought the medications to my brother, he went to meet with the Red Cross rep to hand over the meds, and they said no." She added, "A few days later, we were protesting in front of the Red Cross building, and again we got turned away. My mom shouldn't have come back like this. I don't know how she's going to get through the next few days."
This morning, 77-year-old Margalit Moses, who lives in Kibbutz Nir Oz, was discharged from Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. She had been taken hostage by Hamas and was released on Friday as part of the first phase of the hostage deal.