Iran leverages Hamas' release of hostages for propaganda purposes

An investigation shows Iran is utilizing the merchandise of U.S. national Keith Siegel and different hostages to further a misleading communicative – 1 that says U.S.-designated panic radical Hamas has treated its captives reasonably and different that Israel subjected Palestinian prisoners to systematic brutality.

On Feb. 1, Hamas released 3 hostages from captivity successful Gaza, including Siegel. Hamas abducted Siegel, who besides is an Israeli citizen, from his location successful Kibbutz Kfar Aza successful its Oct. 7, 2023, panic onslaught connected Israel. He spent much than 480 days successful captivity.

Hamas besides released Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon successful speech for 183 Palestinian prisoners amid a fragile ceasefire that went into effect connected Jan. 19.

Iranian media reports focused connected a communicative that Palestinian prisoners exhibited signs of torture and abuse.

By contrast, Iranian media said, Siegel and different hostages released successful erstwhile exchanges had shown appreciation to Hamas for treating them humanely.

On Feb. 2, Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) released an alleged connection from Siegel successful which helium thanked Hamas for gathering each of his aesculapian and dietary needs.

IRNA besides claimed Siegel had “criticized the Israeli authorities for not doing capable to scope a woody to instrumentality the prisoners sooner and extremity the bloody warfare successful Gaza.”

A connection from Siegel’s family, however, published by the Times of Israel that aforesaid day, said helium had been forced to motion disconnected connected the convey you missive to Hamas.

“Hamas terrorists forced Keith to constitute them a elaborate convey you missive portion holding him captive,” the connection from Siegel’s household read. “This is conscionable 1 illustration of galore that demonstrates Hamas’s cruel and cynical behaviour and highlights the urgency of bringing each remaining hostages backmost home.”

While Iranian media focused connected claims that Hamas had provided Siegel due aesculapian care, they omitted that Siegel’s ribs were breached and helium was changeable successful the manus erstwhile militants abducted him connected Oct. 7, 2023, on with the different 249 hostages.

His wife, whom Hamas besides took captive and freed successful November 2023, recounted having to beg for nutrient and water.

Hamas besides paraded Siegel connected signifier for propaganda purposes, earlier a banner speechmaking “Nazi Zionism Will Not Win.”

Exploiting different hostages

Meanwhile, an nonfiction from Iran’s state-run Press TV connected Feb. 2 promoted different alleged statements made by hostages successful Hamas custody to further Tehran’s propaganda goals.

Press TV claimed Gaida Moses, 80, who was released connected Jan. 30, “lived successful the aforesaid conditions arsenic his captors and ate what they ate together.”

Moses’ niece Efrat Machikawa told the BBC that Moses survived chiefly connected a portion of breadstuff and an olive a time during his 15-plus months successful captivity.

"I person nary thought however helium survived," she said. "He mislaid truthful overmuch weight.”

In December 2023, the Palestinian militant radical Islamic Jihad besides released a propaganda video successful which Moses pleaded for Israel to marque a woody to unafraid his release.

Additionally, Press TV focused connected Danielle Aloni, a erstwhile hostage who was released with her 5-year-old girl successful November 2023 aft a period successful Hamas’ captivity. Aloni wrote a convey you missive to Hamas’ equipped wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. That missive went viral successful Arabic connection media.

Family and Israeli media said the missive was Hamas propaganda. The Times of Israel reported successful November 2023 that Aloni’s household members were inactive successful custody erstwhile she composed the letter, suggesting she whitethorn person been coerced to constitute it.

Hamas besides filmed different erstwhile captives smiling and waving astatine their captors portion being released during a impermanent ceasefire successful November 2023.

Those filmed gestures, the Times argued, “were intelligibly demanded by the captors and made nether duress” successful a bid by Hamas to “show the satellite it has been and is treating the hostages humanely.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Hamas’ attempts to crook the merchandise of hostages into a spectacle was intended to showcase their spot and humiliate their enemy. This tactic, the Journal says, besides risks derailing the fragile ceasefire.

Press TV besides cited a connection from Chen Almog-Goldstein, who was abducted by Hamas with 3 of her children. Goldstein reportedly said her captors “protect[ed] america with their bodies from [Israeli] strikes.”

That sentiment was reflected successful interviews she gave to Western media.

At the aforesaid time, Goldstein watched Hamas gunmen sprout and termination her hubby and eldest girl connected Oct. 7, 2023.

Chen’s daughter, Agam, who was taken hostage alongside her, recounted their captivity successful acold harsher terms.

Press TV cites Chen arsenic saying her Hamas captors claimed they would dice earlier she did, signaling their work to support her. Press TV further cited Hamas, which claimed the Israeli subject “deliberately and repeatedly” targeted locations wherever the militants were holding Israeli captives.

But Agam said Hamas was intentionally putting hostages successful harm’s way.

“But then, successful an instant, the debased buzz of speech was drowned retired by Hamas launching rockets, conscionable meters distant from us, from wrong the schoolhouse compound. The hallway erupted successful joy, and arsenic the Gazans celebrated, I realized that Hamas had moved america determination to service arsenic quality shields,” Agam wrote for The Washington Post successful August.

Agam besides recounted Hamas guards sexually abusing women and hating her “for being Jewish.”