Israel
‘It’s because of Ben Gvir’: Freed hostage claims Hamas abuse worsened thanks to actions of far-right minister
Ben-Gvir has pushed back, arguing that the Israeli media are ‘adopting Hamas’ narrative’
October 27, 2025 13:28
Ben-Gvir has pushed back, arguing that the Israeli media are ‘adopting Hamas’ narrative’
October 27, 2025 13:28Former hostage Bar Kuperstein has revealed that his Hamas captors told him “it’s because of Ben Gvir” as they beat him during his time in captivity.
In the trailer for an upcoming interview with Israel’s national broadcaster Kan, the 23-year-old claimed he was beaten so badly that he couldn’t walk for a month as an “eye for an eye” retaliation for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir saying that he would be making life less comfortable for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
"They said… you’ll get what he does to our prisoners, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’” Kuperstein told the network, adding: “They repeated that a bunch more times, came and beat us up.”
Going into further details about the abuse he suffered, Kupperstein – who was abducted from Nova festival – recalled”: “They took me to their room – eyes blindfolded, of course – and the moment I came in I got two blows like this, right to [either side of] the face, cymbals, really,” he said, miming a pair of cymbals being crashed together. “I fell to the floor from the force.”
He went on: “They pulled me by the legs the entire length of the room, and they’re stepping [on me] and really humiliating [me] as much as they could.”
Describing how his life flashed before his eyes as he feared the terrorists were going to chop his legs off, Kuperstein recounted that one of his captors addressed him in Hebrew, saying: “Until now we haven’t done anything. Now you’ll feel on your flesh what our prisoners feel [in Israel].”
He said: “I remember I even put my right leg on my left so that they would only hit one leg, so that I’d at least have one leg left.
“They broke several bones in my feet, and I couldn’t walk on them for a month or something.”
However, responding to the claims in a social media post, Ben-Gvir said: “I warmly embrace Bar Kuperstein and all the hostages who returned home. But the Israeli media is adopting Hamas' narrative.
“Hamas didn’t need an excuse to enter on October 7, murder, rape, abuse, and burn babies. All these things happened long before the changes in the prisons – changes that Netanyahu, at that time, did not allow me to implement.”
Asked if he blamed Ben-Gvir for the abuse he suffered, Kuperstein said: “How did you let them abuse us? You’re a government minister… you’re supposed to care for us. Why aren’t you caring for us?”
But he also took aim at the Israeli media, adding: “I was angry about the fact that it went out to the press. How things like that – even if they happen, I don’t know if it’s screw-ups or not – why it goes out to the press when you know we’re in their hands.”
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