The U.S. is on the wrong side of history by blindly supporting the Israeli genocide against Palestinians and the MSM and public officials mislead the American public into believing Palestinians fighting the Israeli occupation are "terrorists" and Israel is simply defending itself against "savages" and evil people who do not value human life. It is shameful and wrong to call Israelis as hostages when they are detained but referring to detained Palestinian as prisoners. This leads the readers to believe that the Israelis were innocent victims whereas Palestinians must have committed a crime. Language does matter in shaping one's opinion.
According to a recent poll by Hebrew Channel 12 in Israel, that asked "Is the rape of Palestinian prisoners okay?" ("Should an IDF soldier be allowed to rape a terrorist?") That is their term, not mine! The result of poll was shocking:
Yes: 47%
No: 43%
Don't know: 10%
There is systematic abuse of women and children as young as 9 in Israeli detention centers where they are held for months without trial often for no reason or for verbally challenging IDF soldiers speaks for itself. This appalling and systematic abuse was one of the principal and most pressing reasons for the Al Aqsa Flood operation that took place on October 7, 2023. Prior to this date, Israel was holding 5,200 Palestinian hostages that most of the world don't know or care about. Now the number of Palestinian hostages held in Israel is over 10,000 people according the Aldameer and Samidoun, two Palestinian Human Rights NGOs specialized in defending human rights.
August 2024's Israeli poll has suggested a majority of Israelis believe the prison officials accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee should not face criminal charges and just be disciplined, according to Middle East Eye report. During that time, sadistic Israeli monsters were protesting for not being allowed to sexually rape Palestinian hostages.
What do former Israeli captives say about Hamas?
* Liat Atzili speaks of experience with Hamas fighters
In a sharp contrast to the evil mindset many Israelis have towards Palestinians, former Israeli captive in Gaza Liat Atzili told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that although she was initially frightened of being beaten and sexually assaulted, Hamas guards allowed her to watch TV and treated her humanely while keeping their physical boundaries, even going out to bring her a pizza.
Liat Atzili spent a total of 54 days in Gaza where she was held in an apartment in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
She was released on November 29, during the one-week ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. She gave her interview after and not before her release.
* Shocking statement by former POW IDF soldier Alexander Troufanov
Palestinian-American author and activist Susan Abulhawa posted Alexander Troufanov's video statement to Hamas on Twitter, "He was the 29-year-old Russian-Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas and released in one of the swaps." He wrote this letter to the members of Hamas who protected him from Israeli bombings for more than a year. Here is the full text of his letter unedited.
"During the 498 days I lived among you, despite the aggression and crimes you endured, I learned the true meaning of manhood, pure heroism, and respect for humanity and values.
You were the besieged free men while I was a prisoner and you were the protectors of my life. You cared for me as a caring father cared for his children.
You preserved my health, dignity, and blessings. Even though I was in the hands of men fighting for their land and stolen rights, and even though my country's government was committing the most heinous genocide against a besieged people, you never allowed me to go hungry or be humiliated.
I did not know the true meaning of manhood until I saw it in your eyes. I did not realize the value of sacrifice until I lived among you, until I saw you smiling in the face of death, resisting an enemy armed with tools of destruction. You had nothing but your naked bodies.
No matter how eloquent or expressive I am, I will never find words that reflect your true worth or express my astonishment and admiration for your noble morals.
Does your religion truly teach you to treat prisoners in this manner?
How great is this faith that elevates you to a level before which all human rights laws and war protocols crumble!
Even in the most difficult moments, you demonstrate justice and mercy, not through empty slogans, but through the reality of your experiences. You never compromise your principles, even in the darkest of circumstances.
Believe me, if I were to return here, I would only be a mujahid in your ranks, because I learned the truth from your people and realized that you are not only the owners of the land, but you are also the owners of principles and a just cause."
* Danielle Aloni's letter to Hamas
Danielle Aloni, a hostage who was freed on with her five-year-old daughter Emily, wrote a thank you letter to Hamas' leadership to thank them for their kindness to her daughter Emily during their captivity and extolled her captors' gentleness, warmth, and love." Reported by (Maria Fox of Forward, Nov. 30, 2023).
It was handwritten in Hebrew on lined paper, was proof of Hamas’ humanity and moral upstandingness, even saying that the hostages had “the time of their lives” in Gaza. For those who argued that the letter was a piece of propaganda written under duress.
Maria Fox of Forward called out the critics, "Does it matter if an Israeli hostage's letter to Hamas is fake?
* Israeli media attacked freed American hostage Edan Alexander's mother
Edan Alexander and his parents refused to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu due to their strong opposition to his government's policies and stance on the conflict. They have expressed their anger and disappointment over Netanyahu's handling of the hostage situation. Shamefully, a leading rightwing political commentator, Yinon Magal publishes a post on X accusing Edan’s mother Yael Alexander of a “repulsive performance of ungratefulness and lack of culture.”
Edan Alexander, a dual Israeli American was released on May 14, 2025 by Hamas in a goodwill gesture after 584 days in captivity as a POW. Alexander was captured while armed and in IDF uniform. He will move permanently to his native country, the USA.
Let's not forget that there were numerous Israeli hostages have been killed by their would-be rescuers, including a trio of men who managed to escape from their captors and were waving white flags and shouting for help in Hebrew when they were shot dead by IDF soldiers in Gaza in December and five Israelis who likely suffocated to death due to a fire sparked by an Israeli assault six months ago on the tunnel where the hostages were being held.
Israel's 18 months of retaliation for October 7 has left over 60,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza including at least 18,000 children. In addition, 17,000 children lost both of their parents and the current bombing and forced starvation in Gaza is killing one child every 45 minutes. For that reason, Israel is currently on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
As of this writing, the number of identified Palestinian hostages who have been murdered in Israeli jails since the onset of the genocide in Gaza is at least 70 including 44 hostages from Gaza. Palestinian human rights organizations announced the murder of hostage Amr Oda from Gaza inside the notorious Israeli prison camp of Sde Tieman.
A week ago, Palestinian human rights organizations announced the murder of detainee Amr Oda from Gaza inside the notorious Israeli prison camp of Sde Teiman. Oda a father of three children, was kidnapped along with his family members by the Israeli Death Forces (IDF) right from their home at the beginning of the ground invasion of Gaza on December 7, 2023.
Having both my late father Ahmed and my younger brother both taken hostages for 18 month each by the IDF in occupied Palestine (May 1948) and Lebanon (June,1982) respectively, I know nothing more put more smiles on the faces of the hostages' families than seeing their loved ones set free.
So, let's hope these released Israeli hostages will campaign for humane treatment for the thousands of Palestinian hostages still being held by the brutal IDF who seem to enjoy committing terror, including torture, sexual assault, and sodomy.
Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for Islamicity.com and the Columbus Free Press.org: He could be reached at elyousseph6@yahoo.com
