'Israeli' captive recounts religious accommodations by Hamas during captivity

In a notable testimony, an 'Israeli' soldier who was held captive by the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, revealed that his captors accommodated his requests for Jewish prayer items and a Torah during his time in Gaza.

In his first statement since his release last Monday, Channel 13 reported the soldier, Matan Angrest, saying that he “asked Hamas to provide tefillin (leather boxes worn by observant Jews on the forehead), a prayer book (siddur), and a Torah.”

Angrest added that the Qassam Brigades provided the items he requested, obtaining them from locations where the 'Israeli' army had previously been stationed inside Gaza.

He explained that he performed his prayers three times a day inside the tunnels and noted that he survived “miraculously” several 'Israeli' airstrikes targeting the areas where he was held.

- Contrast in treatment -

Angrest’s account of his treatment stands in stark contrast to the harsh conditions faced by Palestinian political prisoners in 'Israeli' jails, which include systematic torture, medical neglect, and mistreatment, a reality confirmed by all recently released Palestinian prisoners under the same exchange deal.

Angrest’s testimony also supports repeated statements by the Qassam Brigades that they make efforts to preserve the lives of captives, warning that it is the indiscriminate 'Israeli' airstrikes that endanger them.