The team is trained and aware of needing to be particularly attentive to the ramifications of extended time in captivity and how this has affected the bodies and psychological states of the hostages.By Howard Blas, JNSOn Sunday at 8:30 a.m., the halls and grounds of Rabin Medical Center–Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah—in central Israel outside Tel Aviv—are calm and quiet.Staff on work breaks relax in the sculpture garden, a few visitors sit in a sukkah, and family members are wheeling patients for appointments and procedures.Two hours later, a large sign is unfurled on the hospital’s outer wall, reading: “This is the moment we all prayed for—how good that you are already home.”The sign provides an important clue as to the excitement and deep emotion that will soon be felt as 20 living hostages are released from two years of Hamas captivity in Gaza.Several will arrive by helicopter at the specialized Returning Hostages Unit at the medical center.Three hospitals—Sheba in Ramat Gan, Ichilov in Tel Aviv and Rabin Medical Center–Beilinson—were slated to receive freed hostages.A bedroom in the returnees’ ward at Beilinson Hospital–Rabin Medical Center. Credit: Courtesy of Beilinson Hospital.Dr. Michal Steinman, director of nursing at Rabin Medical Center, a 30-year veteran of Beilinson and the manager of the Returning Hostages Unit, captured the significance of the moment.“In addition to all of the preparations, we are personally involved in being connected to the hostages and their families. It is a privilege to be part of this history. You can be part of helping these people who come from darkness to light to take their first steps. It is something that I will cherish all of my life,” Steinman told JNS.Steinman noted that this is the third time the hospital has received hostages in its special unit.The facility treated 27 released hostages in November 2023, and nine more, including five female soldiers, who were freed in January and February 2025.“Let’s not forget the hundreds of wounded soldiers we have taken care of here,” she added.Steinman feels their team’s experience these past two years in what she calls “captivity medicine” has helped prepare them for the arrival of the new hostages.“Our teams are trained, and we have done simulations. Now, we are fine-tuning,” she said.Cozy sleepwear, slippers and personal items for the comfort of returning hostages in Beilinson’s Returning Hostages Unit. Photo by Judy Lash Balint.The team is trained and aware of needing to be particularly attentive to the ramifications of extended time in captivity and how this has affected the bodies and psychological states of the hostages.Beilinson director Dr. Lena Koren Feldman emphasized how much they have learned these past two years, saying that “we have gained extensive experience in treating returning hostages of all ages and conditions.“We opened a dedicated department during the war and have kept it ready and waiting for this very moment. The department was designed to provide a home-like atmosphere—a place of warmth, safety and stability for the returning hostages,” she told JNS.On Saturday, families of the hostages were invited to meet the staff and visit the unit and rooms, which will become their family members’ home before they are transferred to the hospital’s rehabilitation unit.“It is always very emotional,” said Steinman. “They bring personal belongings of the hostages and know that in 24 to 48 hours, they will be sleeping here.”Professor Noa Eliakim Raz, head of the Returning Hostages Unit, said that “we are filled with emotion and anticipation as we prepare to welcome the hostages back home. Over the past weeks, the Rabin Medical Center teams have been working tirelessly to ensure that each individual receives comprehensive medical and emotional care.”She stressed the vital role of working with the families. “We view the families as an inseparable part of this journey and are committed to providing them with all the support they need. Everything is ready, and we are now waiting to welcome the returning hostages and their loved ones,” Raz told JNS.Patients will stay in the hospital section for one to two weeks before being transferred to Rabin’s long-term Hostages Rehabilitation Unit.A team of experts will accompany patients throughout their recovery, helping them to rebuild their physical strength, emotional resilience and sense of independence.One issue the treatment team will be especially attuned to is nutrition and food intake. Dr. Sigal Frishman, head of the Nutrition Department, told JNS that “we are preparing to receive the returning hostages with personalized and compassionate nutritional care, recognizing that the first days of recovery are crucial for both body and mind. Each returnee will be accompanied by a dedicated dietitian from the moment of admission, throughout hospitalization and into rehabilitation after discharge.”She explained that “after such a prolonged period of limited nutrition and significant loss of muscle and weight, it is essential to gradually restore the body’s balance of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. This delicate process will be carried out closely with each patient and their family, ensuring the safest and most effective recovery possible.”Steinman sees the teams work with the hostages and their families as ongoing. “They are with us for their lifetime,” she said. “We know captivity’s impact is layer by layer, system after system.”She stressed that former hostages might require monitoring and support for the rest of their lives—and that she and her team are ready and willing to be by their sides.The post ‘Moment we all prayed for’: Hospital readies to receive freed hostages appeared first on World Israel News.