Copyright ynetnews
An Israeli who survived months in Hamas captivity has described in detail the torture he endured, saying the terrorists repeatedly beat him after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir publicly boasted about worsening conditions for Palestinian security prisoners. Bar Kupershtein, who was held in Gaza, told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News that his captors assaulted him and other hostages whenever they saw Ben-Gvir in Israeli media or heard about his actions toward imprisoned Palestinians. His testimony echoed that of fellow freed hostage Segev Kalfon, who said in an interview with ynet that “the terrorists beat us brutally every time they saw Ben-Gvir in the media, or when there were events related to their prisoners.” Last week, journalist Nadav Eyal reported that by the end of 2024, the Shin Bet security agency had warned both Ben-Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Ben-Gvir’s statements about security prisoners could endanger the hostages held in Gaza. “I remember days when there was no food — you had nothing, they wouldn’t bring you any,” Kupershtein said. “There was a guy we called ‘Shchorzik.’ His job, and he said it himself, was: ‘I’m here to make sure you’re not treated too well.’ We didn’t see them eating, but you could tell from their weight — you were shrinking, and they were getting bigger.” Kupershtein described a particularly violent episode that occurred around the 270th day of captivity. “They came to us and just beat us up — lined us against the wall and really hit us,” he said. “They told us, ‘This is because of Ben-Gvir. Whatever he’s doing to our prisoners, you’ll get the same.’ They repeated it several times — came back and beat us again. A week later, they took me to their room, with my eyes covered, and as soon as I entered, I got two punches to the face — like cymbals crashing together.” “I fell to the floor from the force, and they dragged me by the legs across the room,” he said. “They stepped on me and humiliated me as much as they could. Then they grabbed my legs, tied them to a stick or metal bar, and that ‘joker’ spoke to me in Hebrew and said, ‘Until now we’ve done nothing. Now you’ll feel in your own flesh what our prisoners feel in your prisons.’” Kupershtein said that at that moment, he feared the terrorists were about to mutilate him. “I thought, ‘What, are they going to cut off my legs now?’ You think, ‘This could be the end for you.’ You start replaying your whole life — seeing it all before your eyes,” he said. “They took a stick and started hitting us on the soles of our feet and legs. I remember I crossed my right leg over my left so they’d hit only one leg — at least one would still work. They broke a few of my toes. I couldn’t put weight on my leg for about a month.” When asked whether he was angry at Ben-Gvir’s remarks and actions, Kupershtein said he was furious that the statements had been made public while the hostages were still in captivity. “I was angry that it got out into the media,” he said. “You know we’re in their hands — how can you let them take it out on us? You’re a minister in the government you’re supposed to look out for us. Why aren’t you?”
