‘You’re filth, you’ll burn in hell’; ‘I was tortured because of you’: Released hostages reproach Israeli minister for torture in Hamas captivity

New Delhi: A ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hamas, leading to the ongoing hostage release. On October 13, Hamas released Israeli Bar Kuperstein. After his release, Kuperstein described the mistreatment he received. He also raised several questions about his own country’s minister.

Former hostage Bar Kuperstein said he was beaten so severely during his captivity that he was unable to walk for a month. He said Hamas beat him so severely because National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir beat Palestinian prisoners. Consequently, Hamas also brutalised Israeli prisoners to avenge the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Questions raised against Minister Ben Gvir

Kuperstein said he was angry that Minister Ben Gvir publicised the poor conditions of Palestinian prisoners. Why did the minister release videos of torture? His publicity made life more difficult for Israeli prisoners held by Hamas.

Kuperstein stated in an interview with Kan Channel that his Hamas captors deliberately deprived him of food for days. He was assaulted on the 270th day of his nearly two-year captivity. “They came to us and started beating us terribly. They made us stand against the wall and beat us terribly,” he said.

‘Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’

“They beat us because of Ben Gvir,” Kuperstein said. “Whatever he does to our prisoners, the same will be done to you. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” They would repeat this over and over again, then beat us. About a week later, I remember they took me to my cell. I was blindfolded, and as soon as I went in, they punched me hard in the face. I fell to the ground.”

Kuperstein said, “They dragged me around the room by the legs, stepped on me, and insulted me as much as they could.” He added that his captors tied his feet to a pole, and one of them said to him in Hebrew, “We haven’t done anything yet. Now you will experience for yourself what happens to our prisoners (in Israel).”

Controversy over Ben-Gvir’s statements

Launching a fierce attack on Itamar Ben-Gvir, the brother of freed hostage Nimrod Cohen, accused him of bearing responsibility for the torture his brother endured while held captive in Gaza. The accusations follow growing controversy over Ben-Gvir’s statements on harshening prison conditions for Palestinian security prisoners.

Yotam Cohen, Nimrod’s brother, accused Ben-Gvir of prioritising publicity over human life. “For likes on TikTok, my little brother was beaten and tortured — you knew and kept going anyway. You’re filth, you’ll burn in hell for what you did to them,” he wrote.

Why are hostages angry at the government?

When asked if he was angry with Ben Gvir, Kuperstein said he was angry that reports of the harsh treatment of Palestinian prisoners were so openly publicised. He said, “I was angry that these things were being reported in the media. Even if such things happen, I don’t know if it was intentional or a mistake, but when you know we’re in their (Hamas’s) hands, why did these reports get out?”

Ben Gvir released torture video

Ben Gvir, who oversees the Israeli prison system as Minister of National Security, has long opposed unnecessary facilities provided to Palestinian prisoners. Early in his tenure, he banned the serving of fresh pita bread in prisons and limited inmate bath time.

Following the October 7th attack, he implemented strict new policies—such as increasing inmate overcrowding and removing their beds. In August, the minister posted a video of himself visiting Marwan Barghouti, a highly infamous Palestinian prisoner, in prison, in which he appeared to taunt him.

Ben Gvir’s taunts and threats

Barghouti appeared thin and frail in the video. In the 13-second video, Itamar Ben Gvir taunts and threatens Barghouti, saying, “Whoever harms the people of Israel, who kills children, who kills women, we will destroy them.”

Now, Israel’s own Kuperstein has raised questions about such videos. Kuperstein, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, questioned, “Why did you let us endure this? You’re a government minister. You should care about us, why don’t you?”

Ben Gvir’s reaction to Kuperstein

Ben Gvir, who has consistently opposed any ceasefire or hostage release agreement with Hamas, released a video responding to Kuperstein’s statement. In it, he accused the Israeli media of working in favour of Hamas.

He said, “I embrace Bar Kuperstein and all the returned hostages, but the Israeli media is adopting Hamas’s narrative.” Regarding the minister’s comments about Palestinian prisoners, other released hostages have also stated that they were beaten while in captivity after those comments.

Ben Gvir claimed that the Shin Bet (Israel’s intelligence agency) later stated that after he publicly exposed the harsh treatment of Palestinian security prisoners, terrorist attacks decreased and Hamas was deterred.

However, contrary to his claim, Shin Bet statistics show that terrorist attacks have increased significantly during Ben Gvir’s tenure.