The truce in Gaza allowed the release of three young women kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023. But the handing over of “souvenirs” from their captivity sparked indignation and relaunched the debate on the psychological methods of the armed group.
This Sunday morning, after several hours of waiting, the truce in Gaza finally came into force, allowing the release of three Israeli hostages by Hamas. Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, captive since the attack on October 7, 2023, were handed over to the Red Cross in the heart of a chaotic scene in Gaza city. Videos released by the Israeli army show a man giving them paper bags decorated with the Hamas logo.
These bags contained objects that were disturbing to say the least: photos of the young women taken during their captivity, a map of the Gaza Strip and a “certifiest” attesting to their status as ex-prisoners. According to the Israeli agency Ynet, these were “souvenirs” supposed to recall their stay in detention.
These details caused an uproar in Israel. The Jerusalem Post denounced a “cynical game”, qualifying these objects as evidence of “methods of psychological torture used by Hamas”. The image of the three hostages, posing smiling with the golden document handed over by their captors, was particularly shocking.
No comments from the Red Cross
The three young women were captured during the attack on the Nova music festival, which marked the start of the war in Gaza. After 471 days of detention marked by questions about their living conditions, their release arouses a mixture of emotion and anger. At this stage, the Red Cross has not commented on this delivery of objects.
hostages Israel Palestine Hamas ceasefire Middle East Israeli-Palestinian conflict
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