A shocking new report by the German newspaper Bild has unveiled the chilling extent of Hamas’ psychological warfare tactics against Israel and its citizens, following the terror group’s abduction of 251 hostages—mostly civilians—during its brutal assault on southern Israel on October 7. The document, allegedly authored in the spring of 2024 and approved by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, reveals the terror group’s calculated strategy to exploit the hostages for leverage in ceasefire negotiations, aiming to bolster its military capabilities at the expense of human lives and suffering.

Weaponizing Hostages: A Gruesome Bargaining Chip

According to Bild, Hamas has been systematically abusing the hostages held in Gaza, using their suffering as a strategic tool to pressure Israel into concessions. The document instructs Hamas operatives to “continue to exert psychological pressure on the families of the prisoners,” aiming to amplify public outcry and force the Israeli government’s hand in the ongoing negotiations. Videos released by Hamas depict the hostages, visibly distressed and pleading for their release, condemning Israeli leadership in an attempt to sow division and panic within Israel.

A Hamas document revealed in the German newspaper @BILD
describes how t/terror org uses the hostages & international community to achieve its goals. Insidious warfare of „negotiations“ while ignoring suffering -all for the sake of restoring the organization's military power . https://t.co/tlYQa6LhDC

— Lillian H. Mueller (@lill_the_swiss) September 6, 2024

The report further details that, during the second phase of negotiations, Hamas plans to allow the International Red Cross limited access to the hostages. This cynical move, masquerading as a gesture of goodwill, is designed to manipulate international perception and portray Hamas as a negotiator rather than the orchestrator of terror it is.

The Human Cost: Starvation and Abuse in Captivity

The barbarity of Hamas’ tactics was underscored by recent reports from Israeli media, highlighting the tragic fate of Eden Yerushalmi. Her body, found alongside five others in a tunnel below Rafah, bore the harrowing signs of severe neglect. Starved and abused, she weighed just 36 kilograms (79 lbs) at the time of her recovery, having lost 10 kilograms in captivity. This heart-wrenching discovery underscores the depths of cruelty Hamas is willing to sink to in pursuit of its goals.

Sinking to a new low, Hamas published a video taunting the families of murdered hostages. Then again, Hamas is a terrorist organization, and its efforts to engage in psychological warfare are reaching new heights. @SkylarGrey, thoughts on Hamas using your music in their video? pic.twitter.com/TidlKfg3yA

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) September 5, 2024

In the wake of these findings, Hamas has continued its psychological onslaught, releasing videos of hostages detailing their abysmal conditions and criticizing Israeli leadership. These orchestrated messages are a calculated effort to magnify public despair and increase pressure on the Israeli government, using the hostages as pawns in a twisted game of propaganda and terror.

A Calculated Delay: Hamas’ Strategy to Prolong the Conflict

The Bild report reveals that Hamas is not seeking a swift resolution to the conflict. Far from it, the terror group appears intent on prolonging the war to extract maximum concessions and rebuild its military might. The document explicitly states that "important clauses in the deal should be improved upon, even if negotiations continue over a longer period of time." This admission lays bare Hamas’ cold calculus: the lives of Gazan civilians are expendable in the pursuit of their broader strategic goals.

Hamas's latest psychological warfare: Footage of murdered hostage Eden Yerushalmi released calling for Israelis to protest and call for ceasefire

The Yerushalmi family permitted the use of her final statement in Gazan captivity pic.twitter.com/mUqDUZOC6b

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 3, 2024

The document also candidly acknowledges the weakening of Hamas’ military capacity, yet it dismisses the urgency of a ceasefire, underscoring the group's readiness to drag out the conflict indefinitely if it means regaining lost ground. Notably absent from the document is any reference to the staggering civilian casualties within Gaza, a stark omission that underscores Hamas’ callous disregard for the people it claims to defend.

Manipulating the Narrative: Blaming Israel for the Impasse

Hamas’ duplicity extends beyond the battlefield and into the realm of international diplomacy. The document outlines a “political maneuver” in which Hamas negotiators are instructed to suggest that "Arab forces be stationed along the eastern and northern borders" of Gaza. This proposal, thinly veiled as a peacekeeping measure, is in fact a strategic ploy to prevent Israeli forces from re-entering Gaza post-conflict, allowing Hamas the breathing room to reorganize and rearm.

Hamas is messing with our heads. The only option left for Hamas to achieve tactical victory, is not on the physical battlefront, but rather on the psychological front.#GetHamasoutofourHeads pic.twitter.com/ru9671Mqte

— Doron Spielman (@DoronSpielman) September 5, 2024

Moreover, the document is explicit in its directive to scapegoat Israel for any breakdown in negotiations. If a deal brokered by the U.S. is rejected by Israel, Hamas is poised to launch a media blitz, casting Israel as the intransigent party responsible for the impasse. This strategy is designed to shift international opinion and absolve Hamas of accountability for the ongoing conflict.

Omitting Key Issues: The Philadelphi Corridor Conundrum

One notable omission from the Hamas document is any mention of the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt, a critical issue in the ongoing indirect negotiations. This absence is telling, as control over this border area is crucial for Hamas’ long-term strategic interests, particularly in terms of smuggling weapons and supplies. The silence on this issue suggests that Hamas is either downplaying its significance publicly or using it as a hidden bargaining chip in its broader agenda.

Hamas executed six Israeli hostages and is now sharing videos taken of the hostages before they were murdered.

This is yet another form of Hamas' psychological warfare.

We will not further traumatize the Israeli families, who are living through their worst nightmares, by… pic.twitter.com/XzwwuW70Mu

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 2, 2024

Conclusion: Hamas’ Calculated Cruelty

The Bild report paints a disturbing picture of a terror organization that is ruthlessly exploiting every avenue to advance its objectives, with little regard for human suffering. The hostage crisis is not merely a tragic byproduct of conflict but a deliberate tool of psychological warfare, wielded by Hamas to manipulate negotiations and restore its military capabilities. As the world watches, it is clear that Hamas’ ultimate aim is not peace but a prolonged and bloody struggle that serves its strategic ambitions, regardless of the cost to innocent lives.