Iranian state media outlet PressTV has repeated Hamas’s false narrative that the militant group “made all efforts” to protect dozens of Israeli hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, massacre. The outlet cited statements from Hamas itself, ignoring overwhelming evidence of systematic torture, rape, and murder of hostages in captivity.
On October 7, Hamas fighters abducted over 200 Israelis, with the attack also leaving around 1,200 dead and unleashing atrocities across multiple communities. The hostages endured physical and sexual violence, and many were ultimately murdered. Though 20 surviving hostages were released just this week under a Trump-brokered peace agreement, the bodies of 28 deceased captives remain in Hamas hands.
Still, PressTV republished Hamas’s propaganda: “Resistance made all efforts to preserve the lives of the occupation’s prisoners,” the statement claimed, shifting blame to Israel for any harm to hostages. Hamas further accused Israel of torturing convicted prisoners inside its borders — an effort to deflect responsibility for its own brutality.
The contrast between Hamas’s media claims and testimonies from released hostages is stark. Eli Sharabi, freed earlier, described being chained, beaten, and denied food. Keith Siegel revealed watching female hostages be assaulted and enduring his own physical and psychological abuse. Edan Alexander, another former hostage, reportedly spent time shackled in a cage and described “severe torture.”
In one propaganda ploy, Hamas even paraded the coffins of two murdered children, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, during a release event — blaming Israel for their deaths. Leaked intelligence later suggested terrorists had drugged hostages to downplay visible signs of abuse, hoping media would present more benign images.
While the latest hostage release came with demands from Israel and the U.S. that Hamas not conduct such displays, hidden videos and messaging with families were still used to stage the handover.
PressTV’s amplification of Hamas’s claims comes as Iran — a primary funder of Hamas — seeks to sanitize its image amid the fallout from the war. The Iranian regime invests heavily in Hamas and other militant groups, funding operations and enabling continued violence.
Israel and the U.S. view the document release and timing as part of a broader effort to ensure the world remembers the true horror of October 7 — not the deceptive spin being offered by Hamas and its sponsors.
