During 903 days of Iraqi captivity, Elizabeth Tsurkov, 38, experienced relentless solitary confinement orchestrated by a militia with Iranian backing, The New York Times reported. The initial months brought the most severe agony through unending physical abuse, sexual violence, and additional atrocities, she told the outlet.

"They whipped me all over," she stated in her inaugural post-freedom conversation conducted in September, The New York Times reported. "They basically used me as a punching bag."

Physical injuries prevented comfortable sitting, forcing Tsurkov, an Israeli Russian scholar pursuing doctoral studies at Princeton University, to recline during her account delivered at an acquaintance's residence, with intermittent pain requiring position adjustments, according to The New York Times. Across multiple interview hours with the outlet, she conveyed her abduction, imprisonment, and liberation narrative through predominantly steady delivery, occasionally punctuated by emotional moments.

Kataib Hezbollah, the predominant Shiite paramilitary organization among Iran-supported groups commanding Iraqi influence, held her throughout this period, she informed The New York Times. Sharing her ordeal serves to amplify Iraqi voices silenced by the group's torture practices, she explained to the outlet.

Her ordeal illuminates Kataib Hezbollah's unrestricted operational freedom within Iraq, The New York Times reported. Despite the Iraqi state's compensation for thousands of militia personnel, governmental authority over the organization's activities remains minimal or absent, according to the outlet. Baghdad's prime ministerial office expressed its "committed to holding accountable any party or individual involved in acts of kidnapping or torture," The New York Times reported.

Consistency marks Tsurkov's captivity account when compared against evaluations from her Sheba Medical Center physician in Israel following her return, with that doctor confirming nerve impairment potentially lasting permanently, The New York Times reported. Documentation from her medical file, which the outlet reviewed, chronicles extensive torture-related trauma, stating the necessity for "long-term physical and psychological rehabilitation" given the "severe damages and complex trauma."

Her circumstances transformed rapidly under diplomatic intervention, with the Trump administration providing decisive support, The New York Times reported. Washington applied sustained pressure on senior Iraqi leadership regarding her situation, sending representatives to Baghdad demanding advancement, according to the outlet. Mark Savaya, a business executive and Trump associate who had assumed critical involvement and would subsequently receive appointment as special envoy to Iraq, accompanied her flight to Cyprus, where Israeli military aviation collected her for homeward transport, the outlet reported.

"I genuinely believe I would have died if they had not engaged so consistently and with such incredible determination," Tsurkov told The New York Times.

Hostility defines Israel-Iraq relations, absent any diplomatic channels, according to The New York Times. Iranian alignment characterizes much of Iraqi governance, with Iran standing as Israel's principal adversary, the outlet reported.

Tsurkov had completed multiple visits to Iraq, conducting research into the Shiite faction under the guidance of influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, The New York Times reported. Precautionary measures were always taken on these trips, she informed the outlet: using a Russian passport, presenting as a Russian national, and avoiding contact with armed groups.

On March 21, 2023, Tsurkov was scheduled to meet a woman at 9:00 p.m. at a central Baghdad coffee establishment. WhatsApp introductions preceded this appointment, with the contact requesting assistance with Islamic State research while claiming shared acquaintance connections. Retrospective analysis led Tsurkov to view this arrangement as deliberate entrapment.

A dark sport utility vehicle approached as she proceeded homeward, with multiple men compelling her into the rear seating, The New York Times reported. Help calls and escape attempts followed, she recounted to the outlet, but kidnappers responded by beating and sexual assaulting her, the specifics of which the outlet agreed to withhold. "They started twisting my pinkie, almost breaking it," she recounted, The New York Times reported. "So I thought resisting more was pointless."

Transit involved zip-tie wrist restraints, her head covered with fabric, and phone confiscation, The New York Times reported. A vehicle stop forced her into trunk confinement. Approximately thirty minutes following abduction, the arrival occurred at a substantial residence. Four and a half months of residence in a camera-monitored windowless chamber followed, with inadequate nutrition and complete isolation, The New York Times reported.

Initially, her Israeli nationality remained unknown to abductors, suggesting ransom-motivated kidnapping, she informed The New York Times. One month into detention, circumstances worsened when phone evidence revealed her Israeli citizenship. Israeli espionage accusations followed, which both she and Israeli officials speaking with the outlet categorically rejected, The New York Times reported.

Her digital advocacy record and published material supporting Palestinian causes while critiquing Israeli governance became her defense, she told The New York Times. Persuasion failed with her captors, according to the outlet.

Confession refusal resulted in being "strung up and tortured," she informed The New York Times. Fabricated admissions to her interrogators commenced shortly afterward as a means to halt physical abuse, she told The New York Times.

Constructing plausible "confessions" without endangering Iraqi individuals became her focus, The New York Times reported. Her initial false testimony involved meeting a French journalist at a Baghdad café two years prior to coordinating anti-government protests. Her interrogators accepted this narrative, removing her from suspension, granting her permission to sit, providing her with food, and allowing her to rest.

That same day brought unwanted physical contact from the senior jailer, identified by others as "the colonel," who groped a thigh tattoo while threatening rape. "He was very filthy and very obsessed with sex," she told the outlet. Such threats from interrogators occurred constantly without execution, she informed The New York Times.

In July 2023, she endured the most severe torture sessions when kidnappers questioned her Israeli service, The New York Times reported. She claimed she worked in a hospital, while informing The New York Times that her actual role involved conscription into a low-level military intelligence directorate two decades earlier.

Two jailers, known as Ibrahim and Maher, delivered repeated beatings until she told the truth, she told The New York Times. "This tooth is missing because of that," she stated to The New York Times, indicating an oral gap.

July 5, 2023, marked Israel's inaugural public recognition of Tsurkov's abduction, declaring "we hold Iraq responsible for her fate and safety," The New York Times reported.

Her transfer arrived "by the grace of God," she told The New York Times. New custodians eliminated torture while introducing nursing care, according to the outlet. Books, notebooks, television equipment, and an Arabic thesaurus arrived, the outlet reported. Dietary variety and abundance replaced previous conditions, The New York Times reported. June 2024 renovations expanded her access to kitchen and bathroom facilities, according to the outlet. Yet solitary confinement persisted for more than two years within third-story windowless quarters, The New York Times reported. "I never saw the sun," she told The New York Times.

Her location and Israeli official assessments placed her at a Kataib Hezbollah installation near Iran's border, within territory beyond Iraqi governmental authority, The New York Times reported. Israel's twelve-day summer Iranian bombing operation brought strikes close enough to create structural vibrations, she informed the outlet.

Hundreds of millions in ransom demands from the militia received no serious consideration from American and Israeli officials, both current and former, The New York Times reported. In November 2023, she made a video appearance on Iraqi television, providing initial public confirmation of her continued survival, The New York Times reported. Couch-seated positioning accompanied scripted Hebrew statements claiming Israeli intelligence and CIA employment, The New York Times reported. Coded messaging conveyed the cruelty she experienced.

False residence claims in the Gan HaHashmal neighborhood signaled electrocution, with "hashmal" representing Hebrew electricity terminology, The New York Times reported. Fictional intelligence handler names incorporated wordplay for "torture" across Hebrew, English, and Russian languages, including "Ethan Nuima," where E. Nuim phonetically resembles "inuim," Hebrew's torture term, according to the outlet. Broadcast editing excluded these names, the outlet reported.

Months accumulated while constant pain from her injuries generated despondency and survival value questioning, The New York Times reported. Yet analytical thinking, she mapped her doctoral thesis by filling notebook pages alongside article concepts. Television glimpses of release campaign efforts, including her sister's interview appearances, elevated her emotional state, The New York Times reported.

On September 9, she met with Mark Savaya, one of her primary credited liberators, who described himself as a trump associate. American assistance requests from Israel followed, The New York Times reported. Adam Boehler, serving as US hostage envoy, became a dedicated advocate through social media campaigns and challenges to al-Sudani for enhanced action, according to the outlet. The intrusion by Boehler into the Baghdad meeting occurred uninvited during al-Sudani's discussions, according to three knowledgeable individuals who spoke anonymously to The New York Times about sensitive diplomatic matters. State Department senior adviser Massad Boulos met with the Tsurkov family last spring, promising them additional life confirmation, The New York Times reported.

Israeli elimination operations over recent years targeting senior Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iranian officials had unsettled Kataib, with her status shifting from asset to liability, she told The New York Times.

White House commentary avoided a direct discussion of Savaya's involvement, issuing statements that Trump "is always concerned about Americans detained abroad" while remaining "willing to leverage our country's strength and his negotiating skills to intervene in this case," The New York Times reported. Baghdad's prime ministerial office credited "complex diplomatic and humanitarian efforts" by official Iraqi entities for her freedom, adding that "external threats or pressures had nothing to do with the Iraqi decision," The New York Times reported.

She was subsequently transported to the US Embassy. Embassy officials established video connections with her sisters, Emma and Avital, as well as Boehler, according to the outlet. "Are you alive? Because I buried you so many times in my head," Emma asked. "She said she was okay, but she would need medical care," according to the outlet.

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Sharabi, released from Hamas captivity after 491 days, lost his wife Lian and his two daughters, Noya and Yahel, may their memories be blessed, on October 7. In recent weeks, the body of Eli's brother, Yossi Sharabi, may his memory be blessed, was returned to Israel. He was brought to burial on Monday in Kibbutz Be'eri.

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The initiative follows the release of deeply disturbing videos showing hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, who have remained in Hamas and Islamic Jihad captivity for 667 days and appear in severe physical and psychological distress. The UN Security Council will convene on Tuesday for an extraordinary session dedicated to the hostage situation in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar is spearheading the diplomatic initiative. According to Israel's UN mission, Sa'ar himself plans to attend the session and deliver remarks representing Israel, pending final coordination arrangements expected to conclude in the coming hours. Sa'ar intends to highlight the severe humanitarian crisis facing the hostages and demand their immediate liberation from the terror organization.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon referenced the forthcoming discussion in a post on X, writing, "Following my appeal to the President of the UN Security Council, the Council will convene this coming Tuesday for a special emergency session on the dire situation of the hostages in Gaza. The disturbing images speak for themselves. While a global campaign is being waged against the State of Israel, Hamas terrorists are starving and abusing the Israeli hostages. It is time for the Security Council to unequivocally condemn the barbaric acts of Hamas, which continue day after day, hour after hour."

24-year-old Evytar David has been held hostage by Hamas since October 7, 2023.
The UN Security Council must convene and address the only real starvation in Gaza - that of the hostages. pic.twitter.com/ocjx7CN5Hr

— Danny Danon דני דנון (@dannydanon) August 1, 2025

Although the session centers on hostages under Hamas control, Security Council members are anticipated to introduce additional topics concerning the Gaza conflict, including the absence of ceasefire progress and humanitarian conditions throughout the Strip, specifically food distribution issues for Gazans and claims of alleged "starvation" in the Strip attributed to Israel – charges that Israel categorically denies.

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"For 500 days and nights I've missed my beloved firstborn son so much. I have tears in my eyes now when I hear that number. It's inhuman. I'm still stuck on October 7. I must replay, every night, our last conversation. My Edan called before 7 AM and spoke loudly because of the noise around him. I hear explosions in the background that won't stop, and Edan tells me: 'You won't believe what I'm seeing here – war. I took shrapnel to my helmet, but I'm okay.' And I, his mother, beg him: 'Edan, take care of yourself, protect yourself, I'm with you, I love you so much,'" Yael Alexander recounts.

The call was cut off. Edan was taken captive to Gaza from a military post near Nirim kibbutz near the Gaza border. Yael says she was beside herself. "You're just a shell, you're finished. We weren't human beings. I couldn't sleep or eat. Boom. Suddenly your child disappears. For five nerve-wracking days we didn't know day from night. We opened many operations rooms, until after several agonizing days they informed us Edan was captive in Gaza. An insane nightmare. But at least we knew he was alive and walking on his feet."

"It was like a knife in the heart"

Since then, Yael, an artist, and her husband, Adi, a diamond dealer, who live in the US, haven't stopped for even a moment crisscrossing Washington and other American states. Edan has American citizenship, and his parents now dedicate their lives to fighting with all their might for his return from captivity – along with all the other hostages. They leave their occupations for days each week for the struggle. Last Friday afternoon, Yael arrived in Israel just as the names of three more released hostages were announced. By Saturday evening she was already at the Hostages Square, raising Edan's photo on stage. "I admit it was difficult for me. This is my first time in Israel during a release. The TV images of what Hamas is doing simply hurt my stomach. They're stressful."

As part of their heroic struggle, Yael and Adi met with, among others, President Donald Trump ("he's very committed to the hostages"), as well as administration officials and other figures. They conduct interviews and work tirelessly to influence and bring back their captive son. "It's not Jewish, not ethical, and not moral not to support getting all the hostages out immediately, and now," says Yael, "certainly not to support stage two of the deal, during which our Edan is finally supposed to leave this terrible captivity."
"We saw the latest returnees, and for me, it was like a knife in the heart. On one hand, I was happy for the families, and on the other hand, it wasn't simple to see them. Edan fought to be in the army. Why, why aren't they fighting for him now in return? I cry out – give me back my son already! Bring all the hostages home!"

"He wouldn't give up serving in the IDF"

Edan is their firstborn son. When he was just two and a half months old, Yael (45) and Adi (52) moved to the US, and from age 4 Edan grew up in New Jersey. He has a sister, Mika (18), and a brother, Roy (13), who recently celebrated his bar mitzvah without his brother.

A warm, united, enveloping, and loving family. Yael speaks with sparkling eyes about her Edan: a child full of joy, charismatic, who always knew how to unite his many friends around him. She gets emotional talking about him, her voice cracking from time to time.

"Our Edan was always super social, super family-oriented. A talented and beloved child, always smiling, someone who really loved life. We were always very, very close. Edan and I loved to travel together for a day of fun in New York. We had deep, moving conversations. He's the funniest person in the world. Hilarious. He devoured life. How much I love this child."

After finishing high school in the US, while his many friends went to study in college, Edan refused to give up on military service in Israel. "It wasn't simple for us at first," Yael recalls, "but Edan was very determined. He was in the Garin Tzabar program here in New York and made aliyah in August 2022. A young man, my precious boy. It was hard for him at first with the distance from home, and for us, too. We missed him very much. Fortunately, I have a very large family in Israel who embraced him, and we also came to Israel a lot and were with him. He, for his part, made sure to come visit us."

In Israel, Edan lived in Kibbutz Hatzor, where "He has a wonderful adoptive family," according to Yael. He enlisted in the Golani Brigade in mid-December 2022 as a lone soldier. He frequently visited his grandparents, as well as other family members.

Two months before Black Saturday, Edan traveled to visit his family in the US. Yael surprised him when she decided to come to Israel a month and a half later to meet him and her family here. "I arrived in Israel on September 31, 2023, and Edan and I spent a lot of time together. All the time. With my family in Tel Aviv, with grandmother, Varda, and grandfather, Baruch, with my siblings. We went on an art tour, ate malabi, the dessert he loves so much. And we kept hanging out. That's what Edan is like, full of vitality and energy. We were at the beach, and then went to eat hamburgers. He was happy."

"He feels us from afar"

To Yael's regret, Edan had to return to his base near Nirim. She still managed to drive him to Hatzor, they even took photos in the car and at the entrance to his home in the kibbutz. She didn't know these would be her last pictures with him until he returns from captivity.

"On the evening of Simchat Torah, on Friday, the day before October 7, Edan was with us for Kiddush on FaceTime. A handsome boy. There was a wonderful atmosphere. We agreed to talk the next morning. Who knew our next conversation would already be during a terrible war. Our lives turned upside down. It tears my heart apart. Makes me cry so much."

"My son had a sweet life in the US, and he chose to be somewhere else, in Israel. What kind of terrible reality is this? I want them to bring him back to us already. What happened to us? What kind of leadership do we have? Where is the right, just judgment? I say to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 'Think for just one moment what would happen if this was your son.'"

Yael says she must also take care of her two other children, to be strong for them too. She admits that often they are the ones strengthening her. She tells how Mika has already spoken several times at massive rallies across the US for the hostages ("in front of 600,000 people in the crowd").

"They're amazing, my children. They were unwillingly enlisted in the struggle, in the war to bring their brother back from Gaza. Edan was supposed to come to Roy's bar mitzvah celebration, six months after the day he was kidnapped. That obviously didn't happen. We all went to the event wearing shirts with Edan's picture and the call to bring him home now. Mika and Roy miss their brother very much, they're both very close to him. Like us, they don't stop working toward the goal of his return to them."

Yael also tells about the proof of life she received from her son, after 421 days in captivity. "I was in Israel at the time. I suddenly heard they were going to release a video of Edan, our son, and the ground fell out from under me. I couldn't stop crying. It was shattering. Edan appeared in the video pale and thinner, didn't look like our Edan. I was overcome with a range of emotions. On one hand, it was important proof of life for us. Look, Edan is alive. But this is your child, and you see him in such a state. I just wanted to hug him already. I'm an optimistic person, and I want to see good things. My son is strong, and I know he can survive this. I believe he feels us from afar. Since the video we haven't received any additional proof of life from him, and I repeat our request again: get him out of there already!"

She tells again and again that her heart is "constantly torn" and seeking solace. What does a mother hold onto, 500 days without her beloved son?

"I'm eagerly waiting for my meeting with Edan," says the lioness mother, who has come to Israel again to fight for his release. "I just want to sit next to him. He has very comforting shoulders. I'll put my head on his shoulder and tell him 'how wonderful, how wonderful that we're together again.' I don't know what he'll want when he's with us again. Maybe he'll say he's craving Thai food. Maybe sushi. I just want to reach that moment already – when our Edan will sit with us at home."

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Iair Horn, 46, the eldest of the Horn brothers, was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his younger brother Eitan, 37, who had been visiting that fateful weekend of October 7. In an impossible Solomon-like judgment, Iair is set to be released while Eitan remains absent from the list. Signs of life from both brothers have been received through previously released hostages.

"It's incredibly difficult for our parents to have two of their children in captivity, but they remain optimistic. Since that day, I've been in a constant struggle," says their brother Amos Horn, 42. "We're very close – in the smallest things, like the food I eat, the music I listen to, or Hapoel Be'er Sheva soccer matches – I used to write to them about everything. Now I just remember them and miss them."

Ruth Strum, the brothers' mother, shared: "From the beginning, I've held onto hope and known my sons will return home. That's my feeling – I know they're alive. Everyone is preparing for Hanukkah, but since October 7, I haven't had any holidays, I have nothing. I remained stuck on October 7, waiting for them to return so we can try to resume our normal lives."

She added: "At this stage, everyone is in a humanitarian situation. We can't make distinctions. We already had one opportunity to bring hostages back, but the deal was halted midway – and sadly, some people who were supposed to return died – they could have been here with us, alive. Only when everyone is here can we truly begin to heal."

Ruth already envisions the day of her sons' return: "I think about the day they come back – I think I'll just look at them and hug them – then they'll decide what happens next – if they want to talk, we'll talk, and if not, we'll wait until they decide what's best for them."

The Horn family, with their three sons, was born in Argentina. The three brothers immigrated to Israel for Zionist ideals, and their parents followed. That Saturday, Eitan traveled from Kfar Saba to visit his older brother Iair when the attack began. The family sent them messages, but contact was eventually lost, and days later, they received news of the kidnapping.

Iair serves as Kibbutz Nir Oz's event organizer, producing holiday activities and even managing the local pub. He's an active uncle to his two nephews (Amos's children), with one of their favorite family activities being Hapoel Be'er Sheva soccer matches.

Dalia Kushnir, their sister-in-law, shared: "Iair is the uncle who builds wooden toys. They're Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans, and since the children were young, they've gone to games together. People who returned from captivity told us they met them in Gaza and their condition was relatively good, but with the renewal of fighting, there's fear – fear they'll be abandoned for a third time."

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In a significant development offering both hope and heartache, the family of captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Matan Angrest has received confirmation their son remains alive, through testimonies from recently released hostages who shared captivity with him. This crucial update comes approximately 500 days after Angrest was taken from his tank position at Kibbutz Nahal-Oz.

The first tangible proof of Angrest's survival emerged in September 2024, when an audio recording was played during a gathering at the Hostages Square. In the recording, Angrest made a direct, emotional appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pleading for rescue from captivity.

His mother, Anat Angrest, speaking on Channel 12, revealed that recent testimonies from released hostages have provided crucial confirmation of her son's survival. "We are living in constant anxiety over the government's handling of this situation," she said. "While we have received confirmation that Matan is alive, he is being held in extremely harsh conditions. We know he was captured while serving in his IDF uniform." She specifically referenced testimony from Or Levy, another hostage, describing the captors' emphasis on Levy's military status and the severe interrogations he endured.

"My son's name appeared on the humanitarian list of wounded Israelis," Anat Angrest explained, "despite the prime minister's assertion that wounds aren't categorized. My son was wounded while defending our tank position at the border. He was unconscious when captured while protecting our nation's borders."

The mother voiced increasing frustration with the government's response: "The state isn't even discussing how or when they will bring him home. Every mother in Israel needs to understand the reality of our situation. We know he suffered severe injuries, emerged from the tank with burns, and endured harsh interrogations. We've seen evidence of this on his face in footage we haven't yet released. We remain uncertain about the long-term implications of his injuries or whether they can be fully treated. Israel effectively abandoned him there from the moment of his capture. Please, just bring my child home."

In the September 2024 proof of life video, Matan Angrest addressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a direct appeal: "Netanyahu, I desperately want to see my family and friends. This is crucial. I believe you're capable of this – you just need to want it. I trust you. You can do this, and I hope it happens soon."

Following the release of that first proof of life, Anat Angrest shared the painful experience of seeing her son: "I received proof that Matan is alive through a video found by IDF forces in Gaza. In it, he says, 'Netanyahu, I don't understand how this happened, but I trust you to get me out of here.'"

She concluded with words that cut to the heart of her family's ongoing nightmare: "How disappointing that the prime minister hasn't extracted you yet, that you weren't discussed in the first phase of releases and aren't being discussed in the next. You're not a child, not a woman, not elderly, not chronically ill – just a soldier who fought, who was willing to sacrifice himself, and now you remain there, in tunnels in darkness, wounded and bleeding, who knows if surviving."

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Israeli security forces have recovered the body of Itay Svirsky, 38, after 425 days in Gaza. He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, the same day his parents were killed in the Hamas attack. The recovery comes after confirmation of his death in January alongside fellow hostage Yossi Sharabi after 99 days in Hamas captivity.

Svirsky, from Tel Aviv, had visited Kibbutz Be'eri, where he grew up, on October 7 to see his divorced parents, who lived separately in the kibbutz and were both killed. Svirsky was with his mother,r Orit, 70, when terrorists entered her room. Both were hiding under a blanket when the terrorists opened fire, killing his mother and reportedly wounding Svirsky. At the same time, in another house in the kibbutz, his father, Rafi Svirsky, was killed. His grandmother, Aviva Sela, 97, one of Be'eri's founders, survived miraculously, but her caregiver Grace, who protected her, was killed.

His body was recovered in a sensitive operation, with details of the location and recovery method withheld to preserve operational security for future missions. In January, Hamas released a video showing Svirsky and Sharabi – both later killed in captivity – along with Noa Argamani, who was rescued from Gaza in June during "Operation Arnon."

Noa Argamani paid tribute to Svirsky, who was with her during their difficult captivity, in an Instagram story posted in July. "You were by my side throughout the journey, and I by yours. You were my friend, my conversation partner, and the big brother I never had. You taught me about the complexity of the soul and how each of us deals with things differently, that there's no wrong way, each person has their path. I thank you for the days when I was terrified, and you always sai,d 'I'm here with you. It's hard, but I'm here with you,'" she wrote.

She continued: "It's been 191 days that you're not here with me, and it still hasn't sunk in that innocent people are being murdered. All I have left to say is thank you. Thank you for being by my side all this time, thank you for listening to my fears, thank you for simply being there. I promise you'll always be a part of me, that I'll never forget you, and that I'll do my very best to give you a proper burial. I wish you knew how much we all love you. May your memory be blessed."

This week, during a protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, marking one year since the hostage deal, Svirsky's sister, Meirav, shared her feelings: "In the week when 105 women, men and children returned, when I knew Itay wouldn't return since he was a 38-year-old man, I was surprised by the intensity of emotions I experienced. Then the stories and testimonies came, including about Itay. From that moment, with every bite, every shower, every time I laid my head on the pillow, thoughts of Itay came, and with them, feelings of guilt."

Following the recovery of Shvirsky's body, 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza, now for 425 days.

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Confidential documents obtained from the computer of a senior Hamas leader have unveiled the terror group's calculated strategy to exploit hostages, manipulate public opinion, and rebuild its military capabilities under the guise of ceasefire negotiations. The revelations, first reported by German newspaper Bild, provide a chilling insight into Hamas' ruthless tactics and disregard for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

The document, drafted in spring of 2024, was found on a computer seized by Israeli Defense Forces. The computer is believed to have belonged to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The contents of the document, presented for the first time, expose how the terror group's leaders deceive the international community and torment the families of Israeli hostages. This manipulative effort aims to harness them towards a single goal, unwittingly rebuilding Hamas' military capabilities and securing its continued control over the Gaza Strip.

The secret document highlights several key aspects that the terror group intends to consider in managing negotiations. For example, it emphasizes the need to maintain "Hamas' ability to act against Israel," to "exhaust" Israel's political and military apparatus, and to erode Israel through international pressure. Alongside the importance of what appears in the document revealed by Bild, it is equally important to note what is not mentioned. The Philadelphia Corridor, the border area between Gaza and Egypt that has ostensibly been at the center of negotiations in recent weeks, is not mentioned at all in the Hamas document. In this context, Hamas' cynical tactic is clear: the terror group intends to present Israel's demand to remain in the Philadelphia Corridor as a way to blame Israel for the possible failure of talks to release the hostages and to increase tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the issue.

According to the document's content, Hamas has no intention of seeking a swift end to the war out of concern for Gaza's residents. On the contrary, the document explicitly states that "important conditions in the agreement need to be improved, even if this means negotiations will take longer." Although Hamas admits that "its military capabilities have been weakened," in its view, there is no need to strive for an immediate cessation of hostilities, despite the suffering of the Gaza population.

Unlike Hamas' propaganda statements aimed at the international community, which recycle claims of "thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties," the document does not mention them even once, a clear indication of the absence of this consideration from the Hamas leadership's list of priorities.

Cynical use of hostages

The document's contents reveal the devious ways in which the terror group cynically uses the hostages it holds to improve its negotiating position and force Israel to capitulate. The essence of the matter is embodied in an instruction that appears explicitly in the document: "Psychological pressure on the families of the prisoners must continue to be applied, both now and during the first phase (of hostage release as part of a deal and ceasefire) so that public pressure on the enemy government will increase."

In its conduct, and especially in the repeated release of videos in which hostages are required to criticize the Israeli government and beg to be released at any cost, Hamas is implementing the strategy as outlined in the document. It is no coincidence that even after cold-bloodedly murdering six Israeli hostages about a week ago, members of the terror group chose to distribute videos documenting their last words. The method is obvious to all: to torment the families of the remaining hostages and the general public in Israel in order to discourage them to such an extent that they will be willing to do anything and direct their claims and struggles towards the Israeli government and not towards Hamas.

Video: Hersh Goldberg-Polin's last moments before he was murdered by Hamas in captivity

The terrorists intend to use the hostages to pressure Israel even if agreements are reached and a ceasefire comes into effect. "During negotiations towards the second phase (of the deal), Hamas will allow Red Cross representatives to visit some prisoners as a gesture of goodwill and convey messages from them to their families," the document states. This move will also be exploited to increase pressure on the hostages' families and, through them, on the Israeli government, to force it to extend the ceasefire even if Hamas does not meet its conditions or deliberately sabotages the continued release of hostages.

Manipulations on the international community

Another part of the document revealed by Bild is devoted to the question of how to manipulatively influence the international community to promote the rebuilding of Hamas' military power. Among other things, it is proposed to adopt a "diplomatic maneuver" as follows: Hamas negotiators will offer "to station Arab military forces along the northern and eastern border" of the Strip with the aim that "the Arab military forces will serve as a buffer that will prevent the enemy from entering Gaza after the end of the war until Hamas reorganizes and rebuilds its military capabilities."

The document reveals that Hamas plans to rebuild all its lost capabilities under the protection of Arab armies, which will be brought in as supposed peacekeepers and then direct them against Israel again. Who will form the basis of the new command structure of the terror group? The document also has an answer to that. The document details some of Hamas' important demands from Israel, including the release of 100 convicted terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment for their actions, who could replace the commanders eliminated by the IDF.

The document also exposes how Hamas manipulates the media in Israel and around the world: in any case of negotiation failure, blame is to be placed on Israel. In such a case, Hamas instructs its people to tell the media that Israel rejected the compromise proposal formulated by the United States. Regardless of the facts, Hamas' position will be that Hamas accepted the deal and that it fell only due to "Israeli stubbornness," so that in any case, "Hamas will not be seen as responsible for the failure to reach an agreement."

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