For recently freed Israeli hostages, the escalating tensions and threat of a wider war with Iran are reviving deep-seated psychological trauma, though many also exhibit profound resilience Individuals such as Luis Har and Fernando Marman, who endured months in Hamas captivity, are now confronted with a new national threat. While the current situation is a significant trigger, for some it does not compare to the "absolute helplessness" and isolation they experienced as hostages
Mental health experts note that while the possibility of a large-scale conflict is stressful for the entire population, it can reactivate past traumatic experiences for survivors of captivity The response, however, is not uniform. The experience of facing a threat as part of a national collective, with the support of the state and military, stands in stark contrast to the solitary confinement and uncertainty they previously faced
This has led some former prisoners of war and hostages to display 'post-traumatic growth,' a form of resilience built from surviving their initial ordeal. Shai, a former POW from the 1973 Yom Kippur War, stated that the current danger feels less immediate and terrifying than his time in captivity, where the threat was personal and constant The shared national experience and sense of agency, however limited, create a different psychological landscape than the one they navigated alone as prisoners Their experiences highlight the complex, long-term mental health impact of conflict on survivors.
Yasir Rai
