Alwaght- One of the important highlights during six rounds of prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel was the gifts given to the Israeli prisoners upon their release by Hamas, a move that has made a considerable influence in terms of psychological warfare and display of victory over the Israeli occupation. In addition to sending political and psychological messages, these gifts were used to show off the resistance power and impact the public opinion.
Gifts during the various stages of swap deals:
Hourglass: Time is running out
When Hamas released three Israeli prisoners in the southern Gaza Strip, it gave one of them an hourglass with "time is running out" written on it in Arabic, Hebrew and English.
Below the statue of this hourglass were also pictures of other Israeli prisoners still being held in Gaza. This action, as part of Hamas' psychological warfare, conveyed the important message that the Israeli army not only failed to destroy the resistance in Gaza, but also with this victory, the countdown to the end of the occupation and the final destruction of the Israeli regime has now begun.
Golden ring to Sagui Dekel-Chen
A baby daughter was born to Israeli prisoner Sagui Dekel-Chen while he was in captivity. Hamas gave him a gold ring as a gift for his daughter. This move was widely appreciated as a sign of Hamas’s different behavior with prisoners.
This Hamas move came while marks of torture and mistreatment could be seen on the bodies of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons, and the prisoners themselves have told various stories of the torturous behavior during their captivity.
A gift package as a memento to Keith Siegel
Hamas also gave released Israeli prisoners gifts such as key chains, photos, accessories, and Palestinian flags in previous prisoner swaps. These gifts were seen as a symbol of resistance and an affirmation of the group’s political message.
Keith Segal, a American-Israeli prisoner, received two gift packages from Hamas before his release, one for his wife. This move was also reported in the international media, indicating Hamas’s attempt to create psychological and propaganda effects and to refute claims of mistreatment of prisoners during captivity.
Showing off captured Israeli weapons reflects Hamas’s power on Israeli media
Beside the margin stories of the gifts, the Hamas's bold military presence in the days of prisoner swap was one of the distinctive features of six rounds of prisoner release.
In this relation, in the latest deal, Hamas displayed 10 assault rifles of various types captured from the Israeli troops in combats.
All of these actions were portrayed by the Israeli media as a show of strength and an emphasis on Hamas’s military achievements.
For example, Ma’ariv newspaper described the propaganda presented by the Qassam Brigades and Saraya A-Quds, as military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, during the sixth round as “a finger in Israel’s eye.” They displayed weapons and vehicles captured in the fighting and appeared in Israeli army uniforms.
Gadi Ezra, author of "11 Days in Gaza", said that Hamas’s aim is to affect world community, Gaza people, and the Israelis.
"With planned actions, Hamas targeted three categories: First international public opinion, second people of Gaza, and third the Israeli public opinion," Ezra said.
Ma'ariv media analyst LilaC Sigan stated that the scenes of Hamas handing over female prisoners demonstrate the psychological pressure the group is putting on Israelis. She held that the images show Hamas demonstrating its power and influencing public opinion.
Israeli Channel 12 covered the story of Israeli prisoner given a gold ring for his new-born baby daughter, saying that it was part of Hamas’s propaganda. The channel added that the move was part of Hamas’s push to leave psychological and media influence.
