Hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas terrorists to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel amid a temporary truce, in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip, in this screengrab taken from video released Nov. 27, 2023. Photo: Hamas Military Wing/Handout via REUTERS

The hostages released by Hamas over the past four days as part of a temporary ceasefire with Israel suffered severe weight loss during their captivity in Gaza, according to preliminary health reports.

Israel’s Health Ministry found that initial assessments showed the hostages, seized by Hamas during the Palestinian terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, lost an average of 17-33 pounds in seven weeks, Hebrew media outlets reported.

News of the initial assessments came as the first testimonies from the released captives and their families revealed the hostages’ diet was minimal, consisting mainly of bread, rice, and in some cases canned food.

The weight loss was especially striking given that many of the hostages who were released and received medical assessments — all women and children — were little kids, including toddlers, and the elderly in their 70s and 80s.

One of the hostages, 84-year-old Elma Avraham, has been hospitalized in serious condition since her release on Sunday. The hospital said on Tuesday that her condition had improved.

The now-former captives have reported that alongside the poor diet and lack of medication, some were forced to sleep on plastic chairs in small rooms guarded by heavily-armed terrorists. Child hostages were also subjected to threats and psychological abuse, according to relatives. In one case, a 12-year-old boy was beaten by Palestinian civilians, his aunt said.

Palestinian terrorists led by Hamas kidnapped over 240 people as hostages and brought them back to Gaza during their Oct. 7 onslaught, in which they murdered more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel responded with a military campaign of air strikes and ground operations seeking to destroy Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by the terror group.

Since the truce between both sides started on Friday, Hamas has released 69 hostages — 50 Israeli women and children, as well as 19 foreigners, mainly Thai farmworkers. In return, Israel has released 150 prisoners from its jails, all women and teenagers, detained for violent crimes or terrorism.

The four-day ceasefire in Gaza, initially set to expire on Monday, has been extended by at least two extra days to allow for the release of more hostages.

Israel has decried clips of Israeli hostages waving goodbye to Hamas terrorists during their release as propaganda, urging the public not to buy the forced act.

Hamas-affiliated media on Monday released a letter supposedly written by Danielle Aloni, an Israeli mom freed from captivity, praising the terrorists for their “extraordinary humanity” towards her 5-year-old daughter, Emilia. Relatives warned the public not to believe the letter, similarly dismissing it as propaganda.

While most reports have focused on the hostages’ physical health, it is unclear how captivity will impact their mental health after experiencing such trauma.