The new and "brilliant" conspiracy theory: The Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, did not suffer at all. They received five-star hotel conditions in Gaza, gourmet meals, medical treatments, television, and even trips to the sea... Their stories of abuse are "Zionist propaganda" meant to justify the "genocide" in Gaza. This is not just a lie; it's collective gaslighting that tries to erase the trauma of hundreds of hostages, deny Hamas's war crimes, and turn victims into liars. This theory, spreading on social media, in anti-Israel forums, and in extremist media, is the pinnacle of antisemitic stupidity: it ignores survivors' testimonies, international reports, and forensic investigations, using lies to justify terror.
This is a sensitive topic because it touches broken lives, but it's important to debunk it with facts. Because such lies not only harm the victims; they encourage violence. Let's dismantle this nonsense, recount the tragic execution stories, and compare to the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Yes, there are problems there too, but there's a huge difference between an innocent civilian in terrorist captivity and prisoners whose rights are protected by law.
This conspiracy didn't emerge in a vacuum; it's part of a wave of disinformation that erupted right after October 7. On platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter), "truth seekers" (truthers), the same types who deny the Holocaust or 9/11 — started spreading videos: "Why do the hostages look 'fat' upon release? They got good food!" "No signs of abuse; it's propaganda!" A prominent example: In February 2025, viral posts claimed that hostage families were "making up stories" to justify the Gaza war. Even a British MP in 2025 accused Israel of "killing" the Bibas family (only the father was released), claiming "Israeli bombings" caused their deaths — a conspiracy denying their murder by Palestinians. An ADL report from June 2024 documented thousands of such posts, originating from extremists: neo-Nazis, anti-Zionists, and Islamists. They cite "evidence" like fake photos or partial testimonies, ignoring medical reports. This isn't research; it's hatred distorting evidence to turn victims into liars.
But let's hear the truth from the hostages themselves. From the first releases in November 2023 to the latest in January-February 2025 and beyond, survivors told horrifying stories of cruel conditions. Dr. Itai Pessach, who treated early releases, described on CBS in December 2023: burn injuries, infections, severe malnutrition, sexual and psychological abuse. "They were held in darkness, chained, without medical care, forced to urinate on themselves." An Israeli report from June 2025 stated that 94% of released hostages reported physical abuse: beatings, chaining, neglect. Amit Soussana, released in 2024, spoke of gang rape: "They chained me, threatened me, exploited me." Segev Kalfon, released after 738 days in November 2025, described in The New York Times: "Daily beatings, hunger, mind games. They threatened to kill me every day." Parents of four girls released in February 2025 told the BBC about psychological abuse: "They were forced to participate in Hamas propaganda, witnessed violence, suffered starvation." A Physicians for Human Rights-Israel report from August 2025 documents: "Subhuman conditions, medical neglect, sexual abuse, all verified by medical examinations." These aren't "stories"; they're sworn testimonies with forensic evidence.
And the executions? This is the shocking part that conspiracists deny to justify their lie. Hamas killed dozens of hostages on October 7 itself: A Human Rights Watch report (July 2024) documented 1,200 deaths, including targeted executions like killing 40 civilians in Kibbutz Be'eri, where terrorists took over homes and executed entire families. Bodies were found bound, shot at close range. During captivity, Hamas killed at least 30 hostages. The Bibas family: Baby Kfir, child Ariel? their bodies were returned in 2025 with signs of execution, not bombing. The mother's body, Shiri Bibas, was returned later amid confusion, with marks of violence and abuse. An Amnesty International report (September 2025) describes: "Deliberate killing of hostages, including children, as a war crime." Hamas proudly published videos of their deeds; this wasn't "good treatment."
Now, the comparison to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a sensitive issue, as there are real problems, but the difference is enormous: Hostages are innocent civilians kidnapped in terrorist captivity without trial, while Palestinian prisoners are criminal or security detainees with legal proceedings, rights, and oversight. A B'Tselem report (September 2025) notes 10,914 Palestinian prisoners, many in administrative detention, poor conditions: overcrowding, hunger, abuse. A WSJ report (December 2025) mentions "severe hunger, unsanitary conditions," with dozens dying since October 2023, according to Physicians for Human Rights (November 2025), including abuse. UN reports (September 2025) call for ending "systematic torture." But: Prisoners receive visits, medical care (despite neglect), education, work. No executions, Israel does not execute. Reports demand investigations but note rights: appeals, lawyers. The difference? Prisoners are suspected of crimes (terror, violence) with a duty to prove guilt; hostages are innocent civilians, some children, in a terror organization's "human shields" cage. No comparison: Prison is a legal system; Hamas captivity is a death cage without rights.
This conspiracy is dangerous because it denies trauma: Survivors like Amit Soussana suffer PTSD, and the lie makes them feel like "liars." It also encourages terror: If "no abuse," why not kidnap more? A UN report (February 2025) calls for humane treatment, but Hamas violates Geneva Conventions. This is part of new antisemitism: "Jews always lie." To fight it, we need evidence, like books documenting real testimonies. Even then, the testimony isn't counted because it's from a "Jew."
In the end, the lie about "good conditions" harms victims, denies Hamas atrocities, and distorts reality. Facts prove: Abuse, executions, huge difference from prisoners. Time to stop the lies, and bring the remaining ones home.
Sources and Further Reading
Abuse, Medical Neglect, Subhuman Conditions: New Israeli Report Details Horrors Faced by Former Hostages of Hamas https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/08/12/abuse-medical-neglect-subhuman-conditions-new-israeli-report-details-horrors-faced-by-former-hostages-of-hamas/
Misinformation and Outright Propaganda about the Condition https://www.facebook.com/WorldJewishCong/posts/misinformation-and-outright-propaganda-is-being-spread-online-about-the-conditio/1047416567414739/
About the Mistreatment of Hostages in Captivity https://www.reddit.com/r/IsraelPalestine/comments/1f69umq/about_the_mistreatment_of_hostages_in_captivity/
Parents of Freed Hamas Hostages Give Details of Ordeal https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxnwnz1ldko
Doctor Who Treated Freed Hamas Hostages Describes Abuse https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doctor-who-treated-freed-hamas-hostages-describes-physical-sexual-and-psychological-abuse/
October 7 Crimes Against Humanity by Hamas https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/17/october-7-crimes-against-humanity-war-crimes-hamas-led-groups
Murder, Hostage-Taking by Palestinian Armed Groups https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/0282/2025/en/
Public Defender Reports Palestinian Inmates Suffering Severe Hunger
Report: Abuse in Israeli Jails Caused Deaths of More Than 90 Palestinians https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/19/its-israeli-policy-report-reveals-abuse-of-palestinians-in-prisons
Death Sentence for Palestinians in Custody https://www.phr.org.il/en/palestinian-deaths-behind-bars-eng/ Statistics on Palestinians in Israeli Custody https://www.btselem.org/statistics/detainees_and_prisoners
At Least 75 Palestinians Have Died in Israeli Detention https://www.un.org/unispal/document/ohchr-press-release-17sep25/
Israeli Prison Report: Palestinian Inmates Face Starvation https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/audit-finds-palestinian-inmates-face-starvation-and-beatings-in-israeli-prisons-b8201351
Distressing Conditions of Israeli Hostages and Palestinian Detainees https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/distressing-conditions-israeli-hostages-and-palestinian-detainees
Beaten and Starved: Israeli Hostage Recounts 2 Years of Captivity https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/world/middleeast/israel-hostage-hamas-gaza-torture-segev-kalfon.html
Released Israeli Hostages Reveal Brutal Treatment https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/10/16/released-israeli-hostages-reveal-brutal-treatment-at-hands-of-hamas-captors/
Handcuffed, Caged, Thrown in a Pit: Hostages' Families Describe Two Years https://www.timesofisrael.com/handcuffed-caged-thrown-in-a-pit-hostages-families-describe-two-years-of-hell/
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