Hostages Reveal Humanity of Hamas, Israel’s Savagery Exposed

The first three hostages of many held by Hamas were released today to Israeli custody under the ceasefire agreement brokered last week. And while the world watched as the exchange unfolded, what became strikingly evident was how much it contradicted long-standing narratives propagated by the US, Israel and its allies, depicting Hamas and the Palestinian people as “savages.”

Contrary to these claims, the hostages appeared healthy, well-cared for, and even expressed gratitude to their captors. Footage captured during the exchange showed one hostage tapping a Hamas fighter on the shoulder in a gesture of thanks.

Others described receiving humane treatment and adequate care while in captivity, challenging the entrenched dehumanisation of Hamas and Palestinians perpetuated by Israeli and Western narratives for decades.

The care the hostages have received starkly contrasts with the treatment of thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. Over 10,000 Palestinians, many of them held without charge or trial, remain imprisoned under conditions that international human rights organisations have described as inhumane, abusive, and degrading.

The treatment of Palestinian detainees, including women and children, exposes the hypocrisy of Israel’s accusations of savagery against Hamas and raises urgent questions about the morality of the Israeli’s.

For years, Israel and its allies sought to portray Hamas as a barbaric organisation incapable of humanity, a characterisation echoed uncritically by much of the global media. The narrative has been used to justify decades of military aggression, occupation, and the collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

However, the hostage exchange reveals a far more nuanced reality. By releasing the hostages in good health and under terms negotiated with international mediators, Hamas demonstrated a level of discipline and humanity that undermines Israel’s long-standing propaganda. It also highlights the resilience of Palestinians under the crushing weight of Israeli occupation and blockade, forces that have sought to strip them of their dignity for generations.

In contrast, Israel’s own actions paint a grim picture. Reports from organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly documented the torture, sexual abuse, and systemic neglect of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. Many prisoners languish in overcrowded cells with little access to basic necessities, medical care, or legal recourse. The use of administrative detention—a practice that allows indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial—has drawn widespread condemnation as a blatant violation of human rights.

The treatment of the Israeli hostages by Hamas throws into sharp relief the brutality faced by Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Testimonies from former detainees detail horrifying abuses, including physical violence, psychological torment, and the targeting of children and women for particularly degrading treatment. Female prisoners have reported instances of sexual harassment and assault, while children are often subjected to coercion and solitary confinement.

These abuses have been systematically downplayed or ignored by Western media, which continues to focus disproportionately on Israel’s narratives of victimhood. The stark reality, however, reveals a system of oppression that operates with impunity, shielded by the unwavering support of powerful allies such as the United States.

The hostage exchange forces the world to reconsider who the real “savages” are in this conflict. While Israel has sought to portray itself as a bastion of democracy and civilisation, its actions tell a different story. The indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, the ongoing blockade, the expansion of illegal settlements, and the violent suppression of Palestinian resistance all point to a regime that relies on systemic dehumanisation and brute force to maintain its dominance.

Meanwhile, Hamas, despite being labelled as a terrorist organisation, demonstrated during this hostage release that it is capable of upholding agreements and treating its captives with dignity. This stands in stark contrast to the narrative pushed by Israel, which paints Hamas as inherently barbaric and untrustworthy. The gratitude expressed by the released hostages serves as a powerful repudiation of these stereotypes and challenges the world to reconsider its assumptions about Palestinians and their struggle for liberation.

Today’s events must mark a turning point in how the global community views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The humane treatment of hostages by Hamas, juxtaposed against the documented brutality of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners, exposes the hypocrisy of decades-long propaganda that has demonised Palestinians while excusing Israeli atrocities.

It’s time the international community hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and to confront the structural violence at the heart of its occupation. The suffering of Palestinians, from the prison cells of Israel to the rubble of Gaza, is not the result of some inherent savagery but of a deliberate policy of dehumanisation and dispossession.

The narrative that Palestinians are the aggressors, incapable of peace or humanity, must be discarded. Today’s hostage release has shown the world that Hamas, and by extension the Palestinian people, are more than the caricatures crafted by their oppressors. They are a people striving for dignity and liberation, even in the face of overwhelming violence and oppression.

If the world fails to act on the evidence before its eyes, it will not only betray the Palestinian people but also perpetuate the very injustices that fuel this conflict. Justice, accountability, and an end to occupation are the only paths to lasting peace—and it is long past time for the world to recognise this truth.

It reinforces why there should be a One-State Solution, and why Israel has forfeited its right to exist.