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The Media Was Hamas’ ‘Gift’ in Latest Grotesque Parade of Israeli Hostages
US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are escorted by Palestinian Hamas terrorists and Islamic Jihad terrorists as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
There was an air of inevitability to the coverage of this week’s Israeli-hostage-Palestinian prisoner exchanges, a key part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
From the moment the grotesque spectacle began — set against a freshly adorned stage draped in banners splashed with slogans in Arabic and broken Hebrew — it was clear that Hamas had choreographed this show for at least two audiences, each meant to take away very different messages.
Hamas turned the latest exchange into a dark spectacle—boastful posters, stolen IDF gear, and ominous “gifts” for hostages to bring back. While much of the media ignored it, we won’t look away. pic.twitter.com/W9jnEpXqJo
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) February 15, 2025
The first was, of course, Israel. Hamas wanted to send a message to the Israeli public — the very people it had so brutally attacked on October 7 — that it remained unbowed and undefeated. That it was just as capable of unleashing another wave of terror on Israeli civilians.
That’s why Hamas operatives arrived dressed in stolen IDF uniforms, brandishing Israeli weapons looted from their October 7 massacre. That’s why the hostages were transported to the release point in a vehicle stolen on that same day. It was psychological warfare wrapped in a grotesque display of theater.
And then there was the “gift.”
Hamas handed hostage Iair Horn a package to take back to Israel — a twisted reminder that his younger brother, Eitan, remains in captivity. It was an hourglass. Placed in Horn’s hands as he stood sandwiched between masked men, he was forced to hold it aloft for the cameras and the crowd. Inscribed on it were the faces of hostage Matan Zangauker and his mother, Einav — a prominent advocate for the release of the captives — alongside a chilling message: “Time is running out.”
Another intended recipient of Hamas’ performance was the international media. With billions of people in their reach, these outlets inform the masses — and as we have seen, many have been all too willing to launder Hamas’ image, buying into its propaganda. That’s why Hamas has eagerly invited journalists to film these grotesque spectacles, confident that much of the press will fail to call them what they are.
For Israelis, these weekly parades of innocent people, who have now been held for nearly 500 days, have been nightmarish. It is gut-wrenching to watch them marched onstage like props in a performance before they can be welcomed home. And the sick “mementos” handed to them week after week? They are not gifts.
Which is why it was so disappointing to see these terror tactics described as such. When CNN called an hourglass — intended for the mother of a man still held captive, inscribed with a threat to murder him — ”memorabilia,” it wasn’t just inaccurate. It was obscene. It is difficult to believe that any journalist, in any context, could not find a more appropriate word.
No, @CNN, the hostages weren’t carrying “memorabilia.” They weren’t leaving a holiday camp with souvenirs. The hourglass, a cruel taunt from Hamas, bore an image of Matan Zangauker, still in captivity, meant for his mother with the message: “Time is running out.”
Stop erasing… pic.twitter.com/cC4f15wacj
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) February 15, 2025
And when Hamas “gifted” hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen a pair of earrings for the infant daughter he had never met — born while he was in captivity — it was not a touching gesture. It was a message. A warning. A reminder that Hamas can reach even the most innocent, just as it did on October 7, when dozens of children were murdered.
But for much of the press, this is ignored. Once again, Hamas finds a willing accomplice in the international media, which dutifully presents a sanitized version of a bloodthirsty terrorist group. This, even as Hamas operatives literally stand on a stage draped in images of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with propaganda images of the October 7 massacres in the background, alongside a message to the world (and a reference to former US President Donald Trump’s migration policy): “No migration except to Jerusalem.”
We said there was an air of inevitability to this week’s coverage — coverage that, we should note, saw Sky News once again repeat the insidious on-air claim that “Palestinian hostages” were being exchanged for Israelis held in Gaza.
We’ve seen this distortion countless times before: the press’s unwillingness to ever truly acknowledge Israelis as victims — even when they have been slaughtered in their homes, held hostage for months, paraded onstage like trophies, and handed explicit threats disguised as “gifts.”
Sky News has once again disgraced itself, calling Palestinian prisoners “hostages” during live coverage of the exchange.
These shameless, false moral equivalences must end. @SkyNews and Nomi Bar-Yaacov owe an immediate apology. pic.twitter.com/5R2UZTTNhQ
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) February 15, 2025
Instead, what do we get? Earnest coverage about how terrified an International Red Cross worker must have felt speaking to Hamas terrorists at the exchange — but not a word about the stunned, hollow-eyed captives being marched before a crowd by the very men who kidnapped them over 15 months ago.
Hamas may wish to project an image of strength, to strike fear into Israeli society — among ordinary people who simply want to live in peace. It won’t succeed. But its vile attempt is aided by credulous journalists eager to repackage its propaganda and soften its image. Whether they do so wittingly or not, the effect remains the same.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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