Hamas Attempts to Minimize Decade-Long Captivity of Israeli Arab

Latest Developments

• Released Israeli Arab Hostage Kept From Public View: Hamas terrorists freed six Israeli civilians on February 22, the final release of living hostages under the first phase of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire. While the five Jewish hostages were paraded before Palestinian terrorists and spectators, Hamas kept one, Israeli Arab Hisham Al-Sayed, from view in what the terrorist organization described as “a show of respect for Palestinians inside Israel.”
• Israeli Arab Family Rejects Hamas Claims: The Hamas statement was an attempt to reference Israeli Arab citizens of Israel — distinct from Arabs who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip — who today comprise more than one-fifth of Israel’s population. Nearly all of this diverse group of two million have the same legal rights as Jewish Israelis, except for the few hundred thousand in East Jerusalem who are permanent residents. The family of Al-Sayed rejected Hamas’s attempt to differentiate him from the other freed captives, saying “For us, every hostage is important, whether Jewish or Arab.”
• Future of Fragile Ceasefire Uncertain: Under phase one of the current deal, Hamas is obligated to hand over the bodies of four more slain hostages before the first phase expires on March 2. Should the transfer occur, 59 hostages would remain in Gaza, 36 of whom have been declared dead in absentia by Israel. Negotiations on the ceasefire’s second phase have yet to begin and are likely to be difficult given Hamas’s demand that future hostage releases will require a lasting ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene his security cabinet tonight to discuss next phases of the ceasefire deal.

FDD Expert Response

“Each hostage release offers another stark glimpse into the moral abyss of this conflict. Israelis risked their lives to secure the freedom of these innocents — among them two men whose psychiatric conditions had been cruelly exploited by Hamas for a decade. And yet, Hamas feigned concern for just one of them—conveniently, the Muslim hostage—by sparing him from a final hour of degradation.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“Once again, the freed hostages bore visible scars of their suffering — drastic weight loss, ghostly pallor, and the hollow gaze of those uncertain whether their loved ones had survived on the other side of the border. And these were the “lucky” ones — freed only because their health had deteriorated so severely that Hamas saw them as bargaining chips. One can only dread the fate of those still languishing in the dungeons of Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

FDD Background and Analysis

“Final Living Israeli Hostages in Phase One of Ceasefire Freed, Hamas Returns Remains of Shiri Bibas,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘In Cold Blood’: Hamas Murdered Bibas Children With Bare Hands, Sent Unidentified Body in Place of Shiri Bibas,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘Grief Too Heavy To Bear’: Bodies of Four Israeli Hostages, Including Shiri Bibas and Two Sons, Returned to Israel,” FDD Flash Brief