An Israeli hostage freed from Hamas captivity said his treatment improved after President Trump’s landslide victory in November.
Omer Shem Tov was a prisoner for more than 500 days after he was kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel. In a CNN interview on Wednesday, he detailed his hellish conditions at the hands of Hamas, including being starved.
He said all that changed on Nov. 5.
“As soon as Donald Trump was elected, they understood that he wants to bring the hostages back home,” he said. “So immediately the way they treated me … when Trump became president, the way they treated us changed for me personally.”
Mr. Tov said his captors “stopped cursing me, stopped spitting on me.”
“Before we felt like nothing is happening, and I remember ever since [Mr. Trump] came into the role, they were very scared of him,” he continued.
Mr. Tov, who was released along with five others on Feb. 22, said Hamas openly rooted for Vice President Kamala Harris to win the election.
“They wanted Kamala to be chosen,” he said, citing talks with his captors.
Mr. Tov also detailed his treatment while in captivity, saying he saw a tunnel full of food that was kept from him as he lost more than 50 pounds.
“One time I did ask one terrorist about it and he told me because of the army there is no food. But I used to see them eat. I knew they weren’t as skinny as me, you know,” he said.
“One time I remember I asked to go … to the bathroom and they took me out. I used to go every three days to the bathroom. And I remember me walking by another room in the tunnel and seeing a big amount of food, cheese and bread, huge amounts. So I was being starved. There is no question about it,” he added.
