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Hamas’ Strategic Hostage Release
Global Recap
October 25, 2023 • Read in: 7 minutes
Hi Global Recap readers,
Just like the Russia-Ukraine war, public sentiment is slowly swaying towards Hamas and against Israel:
Driven by their savvy, empathy-inducing media campaign.
Bolstered by mainstream media echoing and amplifying their efforts.
Numerous videos of Hamas’ horrors pervade the internet, with the most chilling being a live-streamed murder by Hamas terrorists on Facebook, using a victim’s phone.
For obvious reasons, I didn’t include the video here, but it reveals their strategy’s potency. We’ll explore their hostage release tactic further today.
🌐 Around the world:
Ex-IS member’s terrorist attack plot.
Iran-backed militants’ attacks cause brain damage to US troops.
Hamas terrorist’s note calls for Jewish beheading.
Erdogan defends Hamas.
Hamas’ Strategic Hostage Release.
Let’s get into today’s news.
The suspect has been identified as “Tarik S.”
🚨 Ex-Islamic-State Member Plots Attack. A 29-year-old man who was previously convicted of joining IS has been arrested in Germany for allegedly planning to ram a truck into a pro-Israel demonstration. He was in contact with “a chat partner in Syria” who agreed to the attack.
🧠 Iran’s Rockets Give US Troops Brain Damage. Some of the 20-or-so US service members, who were previously reported to have suffered “minor injuries” from attacks by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria, have been revealed to have suffered “traumatic brain injury.” The Pentagon insists the injuries are minor and the troops have returned to duty.
How minor is a “traumatic brain injury?”
🗡️ What the Hamas Terrorist Note Says. A note, reportedly found on a dead Hamas terrorist from the massacre on October 7, reveals their gruesome plans to behead and mutilate Israelis.
“You must sharpen the blades of your swords and be pure in your intentions before Allah. Know that the enemy is a disease that has no cure, except beheading and removing the hearts and livers. Attack them!”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, is holding hands with Turkey’s President Erdogan, right.
🚀 Erdogan Defends Hamas, Cancels Israel Trip. Turkey’s leader praised the terrorist group as “mujahideen defending their lands.” Mujahideen is an Arabic term for holy warriors on a divine mission (jihad).
He also scrapped his planned visit to Israel, citing its “inhumane” war.
Israel
Hamas’ Strategic Hostage Release
♟️ Hostages or Pawns? Hamas releases four hostages in a week, but is it sincere or sinister?
👩👧 Mother and Daughter Freed. Judith and Natalie Raanan, a dual American-Israeli mother and her 18-year-old daughter, were among the first hostages to be released by Hamas last Friday. They were kidnapped three weeks ago during the brutal massacre by the militant group that killed over 1,400 civilians in Israel.
👵 Two Elderly Women Follow. On Monday, Hamas released two more hostages, both elderly women, who were also held captive in the Gaza Strip. Their release was part of international negotiations to free the more than 200 people abducted by Hamas.
🧠 Psychological Warfare. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Doron Spielman said that Hamas is engaging in psychological warfare by releasing hostages in batches and showing them videos of them handing out cookies. He compared their tactics to those of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.
🆚 Differing Opinions. Supporters of the terrorist group see the release of hostages as a gesture of goodwill. Meanwhile, critics view it as a cynical strategy to manipulate public opinion and gain sympathy by releasing hostages selectively.
🤔 What do they have to gain? Portray itself as humane and reasonable, while hiding the atrocities it committed against the hostages and the civilians in Gaza. Their most recent release of the two elderly women showcases this perfectly.
Yocheved Lifshitz, an 85-year-old grandmother, endured what she described as “hell.” Despite the ordeal, she highlighted their unexpected kindness:
“They really took care of the sanitary side of things so that we didn’t get sick. (…) They were very generous to us, very kind. They kept us clean.”
🔍️ Analysis. Ken Grey, ex-FBI agent and current criminal justice professor suggests this could be a strategic move by Hamas to sway public opinion.
“They want to project the information that they are treating the hostages very well (…) using this as a method of being able to show themselves of being humane, treating the hostages well. And then it will make the IDF look even worse when they actually enter into the Gaza.”
Remember: We cannot be absolutely certain that this is all part of Hamas’ tactics, but I wouldn’t put it past them either.
🇵🇸 Senior Hamas Leadership. Hamas official Khaled Meshaal said on Tuesday that Hamas will free the civilian hostages if Israel stops bombing Gaza. But Israel says it won’t stop until Hamas releases all its women and children hostages.