hostage releases precisely orchestrated by the terrorist organization

In videos provided by Hamas communications, a mother and her daughter smile, being transferred to the Red Cross. Since the first release of the hostages, Hamas images have been deliberately staged. The kidnappers appear there in an almost protective attitude. Here, a fighter helps a grandmother down a step that is too high, there, another activist carries a child onto a Red Cross bus.

A propaganda operation?

The exchange takes place in broad daylight, with dozens of spectators. The strategy is, according to experts, designed to show a more human face. “Hamas needs, in particular to rebuild the Gaza Strip and hope to survive the assaults of the Israeli army, to rehumanize itself (…). We are really in a pure propaganda operation, mainly for internal use, but also with traditional backers of Hamas”analyzes David Khalfa, co-director of the North Africa and Middle East Observatory.