A recently released hostage has reportedly told his family that he and others he was held with in Gaza were beaten with horse whips until they lost consciousness after their Hamas captors had heard public comments made by far National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has publicly boasted about worsening the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

“We were subjected to severe abuse every time Ben Gvir spoke out about the [Palestinian] prisoners,” Channel 12 quoted an unnamed former hostage as having said on Friday.

“Once he talked about [the limited] food [Palestinians prisoners were receiving], and they locked us in a cage and said we could eat one date and drink salt water,” the freed hostage added.

“Once after he spoke on television, some terrorists came in with horse whips and beat us until some of us lost consciousness,” the former hostage recalled.

Monday saw the release of the remaining 20 living hostages held in Gaza in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s wider peace plan.

Earlier this year, released hostages also said that........

© The Times of Israel