Inside Resistance captivity: Freed Israeli soldier testifies Hamas showed respect

Matan Engrest, the Israeli soldier, spoke in his first interview after release with Israel’s Channel 13, saying that he had asked his captors for Tefillin (the leather boxes worn by Jews during prayer), a Siddur (prayer book), and a Torah. He added that Hamas obtained these data-x-items for him from areas in Gaza where the Israeli army had previously operated.

Engrest explained that he prayed three times a day inside the tunnels and miraculously survived several Israeli airstrikes that targeted his place of detention. His remarks had already been echoed by his father in Hebrew-language media before the interview aired.

Engrest was among the captives whose video was released by Hamas during his captivity. In the video, he urged serious efforts for his release and that of other prisoners, saying that the only path to freedom was through a prisoner exchange and the next stage of negotiations.

Addressing Donald Trump, Israeli army commanders, and the Netanyahu cabinet, he pleaded with them to “bring the captives home alive, not in coffins,” and called on Israeli citizens to take to the streets and increase social pressure on the cabinet.

Hamas has repeatedly emphasized that it does everything possible to preserve the lives of captives and has warned that Israel’s indiscriminate and deadly bombardments endanger them.

According to Anadolu Agency, the soldier’s account of his treatment during captivity contrasts sharply with reports from human rights activists about the harsh conditions faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails — including torture, medical neglect, and abuse.

This is not the first time that reports of Hamas’s humane and respectful treatment of Israeli captives have appeared in Hebrew media. During the first ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, from November to early December 2023, the group released a number of captives. At the time, both media outlets and public opinion noted the group’s treatment of those released.

According to reports and testimonies from released captives, Hamas sought to provide their basic needs during detention — including food, medical care, and respectful, humane treatment. Some captives even admitted that, despite the war, Hamas made efforts to preserve their human dignity and refrain from mistreatment or humiliation.

This record, along with the new testimony given by Engrest after his release, suggests that Hamas has tried to treat Israeli captives differently from the way Palestinian prisoners are treated in Israeli prisons.

Since Monday, Hamas has released 20 Israeli captives alive and handed over the bodies of 10 others by Wednesday evening, saying it needs more time to recover the remaining bodies.

In exchange, Israel has released 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,718 others who had been arrested from Gaza since October 8, 2023.

However, more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, remain in Israeli prisons. According to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports, many of them are subjected to torture, starvation, and medical neglect — conditions that have led to the deaths of several detainees.