Freed Israeli hostage, 84, fights for life in hospital as daughter slams Red Cross

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An elderly woman released by Hamas on Sunday is fighting for her life in an Israeli hospital, doctors have said, as relatives question medical care given to hostages freed from Gaza.

Elma Avraham, from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, is in a critical condition due to “severe neglect” during her time in captivity, said Shlomi Codish, director of the Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba.

Ms Avraham is sedated and breathing with the support of a ventilator, doctors said from the hospital, which has been treating all elderly women released by Hamas in recent days.

She was flown there from Gaza on Sunday night as her internal temperature dropped, and was semi-conscious on arrival.

The Israeli military has referred to her case as officials push to secure the release of more hostages from the enclave, some of whom are being held by militant factions other than Hamas.

“Elma is 84 years old, she is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother,” military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a nightly briefing.

“She was kept in a harsh condition, denied life-saving medication. She was not visited by the Red Cross.”

“Elma is a reminder of our critical mission. Now she is home and being taken care of. But who is taking care of the other hostages in Gaza?”

Israel has repeatedly urged the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is co-ordinating the transfer of hostages into Israel, to visit those still held in Gaza.

Ms Avraham’s daughter has criticised the organisation over her mother’s condition.

“My mother didn’t need to return this way,” Tali Amano told reporters in Beersheba.