Two women who had been captured by Hamas were released Tuesday through the International Red Cross. One of them, Yocheved Lifshitz, remarked to the media that she had been treated well and provided both food and medical care.
Experts speaking on Channel 12 News commented that the release and subsequent remarks by Yocheved were an act of psychological warfare by Hamas.
"It is horrifying to say this, but this is a Hamas victory. To have a captive come and say that she was treated gently and politely, that she was given the medicine she needs - this is going to be shown to the entire world. This is the place to filter things out, to control the media that is disseminated," said Anat Hochberg Marom, an international geopolitical expert.
Gail Shoresh, a former senior official in the Mossad, commented: "There are some things that the wonderful Mrs. Lifshitz should have said only to her family, or only to intelligence services. Otherwise, we know exactly what the Hamas propaganda machine will do with them. This is the time for media discretion; the State's various bodies working to free the captives should take notice of this and act responsibly."
Shoresh added: "Many people have talked about how the captives are an asset for Hamas - we need to find captives who will be an asset for Israel."