Former hostage Bar Kuperstein, freed during the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire, revealed that Hamas captors beat him so badly he couldn’t walk for a month — claiming it was revenge for Israeli prison policies.
Kuperstein, abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, told Kan News that his captors said the beatings were “an eye for an eye” retaliation for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s tough treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
He criticized Ben Gvir for boasting about the harsher conditions, saying, “How did you let them abuse us? You’re supposed to care for us.”
In response, Ben Gvir accused Israeli media of spreading “Hamas’s narrative” and defended his prison policies, claiming they reduced terror attacks — despite data from Shin Bet showing the opposite.
Kuperstein also described days without food, saying guards “made sure we weren’t treated too well.” His story echoes accounts from other freed hostages who said Hamas increased brutality following Israeli crackdowns.
