Tel Aviv, Dec 10 (IANS): The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum has charged that the world was silent even as the human rights of Israeli hostages were being trampled upon by the Hamas terrorists.

In a statement on Sunday, December 10, which also is World Human Rights Day, the forum said that during the October 7 massacre, over 240 people were brutally kidnapped from their homes and the Nova Festival.

The forum called upon all those in positions of power to act "by any necessary means".

Among the hostages are babies, children, women, men, the elderly, and young people suffering from chronic illnesses who take daily medication, as well as those seriously injured during the massacre, a statement mentioned.

The statement said: "They require special protection and care under international humanitarian law, due to their increased vulnerability to severe physical and psychological harm that could be, in the best case, irreversible and, in the worst case, lead to death if urgent medical care is not provided immediately."

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948.

It said that 75 years later, it is vital to draw attention to the people whose rights have been "cruelly violated", held captive in Hamas tunnels and other unknown locations in the Gaza Strip.

"The testimonies of released hostages point to sexual abuse, violence, starvation, humiliation, and more, consistent with serious violations of fundamental human rights."

The forum said that "this underscores the fact that time is running out and that every moment the hostages remain in Hamas captivity puts them at immediate risk of death".

The statement added: "We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. We ask that medical care and supplies be provided immediately for the hostages and that they all receive medical treatment by the Red Cross until they're released."