MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Israel is celebrating the return yesterday of the last 20 living hostages who were held by Hamas. While the euphoria is real, the hostages themselves now face the huge challenge of rehabilitation - both physical and mental - and they are doing it in the spotlight, with national celebrity thrust upon them. Dr. Hagai Levine is head of the health team for the hostages and Missing Families Forum. That's the main advocacy group for the hostages. Dr. Levine, welcome.
HAGAI LEVINE: Shalom, Mary Louise.
KELLY: I know you have been working for this moment, advocating for the release of the hostages all this time. Start with, what is the first priority for their well-being?
LEVINE: The first priority is to secure their life. We don't know when they arrive what is exactly their condition. That's why the first priority is to triage - to decide which hospital they will go and if they have urgent medical needs. The second priority is to get them back to become humans. They were dehumanized...
KELLY: Yeah.
LEVINE: ...By the Hamas. Now our objective is to get them reunited with their families and getting, you know, just the normal human activities, like choosing their own clothes, eating, communicating with others, seeing, you know, the sun and the skies. That's what they were missing.
KELLY: So let's talk through those in order - the first priorities as they're coming out. I saw an interview where you talked about some of the little details, like having sunglasses ready because for someone who has been kept in a tunnel underground, you're not used to light.
LEVINE: You are not used to anything. And more than that, it could be frightening experience because you are taken from the tunnels - some of them were isolated completely - and then you meet so many people. You realize that there are millions of people that became aware of you. So this could be overwhelming. In any case, it should be tailored-made for the individual. The families know them the best.
KELLY: You're talking about being in touch with the families, which makes me wonder about small things that these people may not be used to after two years in captivity. Just even being touched by another human, even with love. Even a doctor seeking to care for them. Have you heard of people - have you heard from any of these hostages that that has been a challenge?
LEVINE: Well, it's a challenge. I can tell you that already, when I met with one of the first released hostages, she told me, we do not necessarily want to be hugged. You know, we are a bit afraid of human touch, as you said, and sometimes we really want to be hugged. So it depends on the person. Also, the families need to be instructed not to ask questions that...
KELLY: Yes.
LEVINE: ...May trigger something, but to let them tell when they want to tell. But I also want to look at the positive side - some things that are very helpful for them. You know, I escorted one of the families in the preparation for the arrival. They brought his beloved games to play with his family. So, you know, the personal things - the personal watch or personal clothing or the food they like - that's really things that, you know, are emotional for all of us.
KELLY: Last question, and this is a difficult question. But the goal, of course, is full recovery - physical, mental, emotional - for these people and for their families. My question is, is that even possible? Is it possible to fully recover after what they have been through?
LEVINE: Well, you know, my grandmother was a Holocaust survivor. We know that there is post-traumatic growth. Yes, they will suffer and it stay with them for their life. But they can learn to divert it into something that they live with, and not determine their fate all the time. But it's crucial to bring back all the hostages - the deceased hostages - in order for them to fully recover, for the Israeli society to fully recover, that everyone will be brought back as soon as possible.
KELLY: Dr. Hagai Levine, head of the health team for the hostages and Missing Families Forum, speaking with us from Israel. Dr. Levine, thank you.
LEVINE: Thank you so much, Mary Louise. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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