Hamas tortured Gaza hostages over Ben-Gvir's actions, freed captive Bar Kuperstein reveals
In a harrowing interview with KAN following his release from Gaza, freed hostage
Bar Kuperstein described the constant psychological warfare and physical abuse he endured in
Hamas captivity, including intentional starvation and a violent incident he links directly to Israeli political figures.
Kuperstein described torture and deliberate denial of his most basic needs. “I remember there were days when there was food for them, and we had none. They just didn’t bring any for us,” Kuperstein
said.
When asked if he thought they were intentionally denying food, he said yes — “there was another guy we called ‘Shahurzik.’ He told us, ‘I’m here to make sure they don’t treat you too well.’”
Kuperstein also noted a stark difference in their physical condition compared to their captors, noting that his captors did not necessarily eat in front of them, but one could tell from their weight and bodies.
“We were getting smaller, and they were getting bigger,” he said, as the interview showed videos surfaced from Hamas members feasting in tunnels, amid claims of famine in Gaza.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir attends a cabinet meeting, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on July 30, 2023. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/POOL)
Kuperstein recounted a specific period of torture that began around the 270th day of his captivity, which his captors explicitly linked to Israeli politics and the media. When asked why the sudden uptick in abuse, he noted that it had to do with the wealthy population of the country and National Security Minister
Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“I remember when they came to us and bombarded us with sources. They made us stand against the wall and hit us. They explained it was because of Ben-Gvir and what he was doing to the rich people,” he recalled. The abuse quickly escalated.
“After a week, I remember they took me to their room, tied me up, of course. When I entered, I got two hard slaps to the face, real ones. I fell to the floor immediately. They dragged me by my legs across the whole room, stomping on me and humiliating me as much as they could,” he told KAN.
As they tied his legs, a captor delivered a chilling message in Hebrew.
“One of them, speaking in Hebrew, said, ‘Until now, we’ve done nothing. Now you’ll feel it firsthand. This is what we do to the rich people at your place.’
Kuperstein shared the terror of that moment: “As they tied my legs, I thought, ‘What’s happening? Are they going to break my legs now?’ You start thinking, ‘Wow, this could be the end for me.’ Your whole life flashes before your eyes.”
The torture continued with focused brutality. “They took a stick and started hitting our feet with it. I remember I put my right foot on my left to take the blows on just one leg. At least leave me one leg. That was really lucky,” he said, noting that a few of his toes were broken from the abuse, and he was unable to put weight on his leg for about a month.
'Why aren’t you taking care of us?'
Looking back, Kuperstein expressed strong anger, not just at his captors, but at the situation that allowed his treatment to continue. “How could things like this happen and get broadcast?
If they knew what was going on, how could they let us be treated this way?” he said. “You’re a minister in the government – why aren’t you taking care of us?”
Ben-Gvir posted a response on X/Twitter, calling Kuperstein’s interview propaganda and feeding Hamas’s narrative.
He expressed his respect toward Bar Kuperstein and the returned captives, though he quickly turned to discuss prisons in Israel.
“
Hamas didn’t need an excuse for them to come in on October 7, murder, rape, abuse, and burn babies. All of these things happened long before the changes in the prisons – changes that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu at that time wouldn’t let me make,” his post read. “Today, even the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] admits that the publication of the policy led to a decrease in attacks and a deterrence for Hamas.”
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