When Christiane Amanpour made the suggestion that Israeli hostages were treated “better” than ordinary Gazans because they were viewed as bargaining chips, it wasn’t just tone-deaf — it was factually grotesque. The kind of statement that suggests not a lapse in judgment, but a total detachment from reality. Yes, she walked it back. Yes, she apologized. But the damage was done, and the casual cruelty of her original claim deserves a hard look.
Let’s be clear about the facts — facts that have emerged through gut-wrenching testimonials and official briefings from multiple governments, including Israel and Egypt. Hostages held by Hamas were not spared the horrors of war; they were dragged into its darkest, most depraved corners. These men, women, and even children were subjected to unimaginable torment. Starved. Beaten. Some raped. Some forced to dig their own graves. Others returned home in coffins. That isn’t “preferential treatment.” That’s torture.
Earlier live on air, I spoke about what a day of real joy this is, for Israeli families whose loved ones are finally being returned from two years of horrific Hamas captivity, and for civilians in Gaza, who have finally had a reprieve from two years of brutal, deadly war.
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) October 13, 2025
And yet, Amanpour — from the comfort of a CNN studio — dared to equate their suffering to a perceived strategy of manipulation, reducing two years of terror to a cold transactional metaphor. “Pawns,” she said. “Bargaining chips.” What she failed to acknowledge is that Hamas did not treat these individuals as strategic assets. They brutalized them. Dehumanized them. They committed war crimes, plain and simple.
President Trump, meanwhile, was in the region. On the ground. Not sending diplomats — not issuing vague calls for “de-escalation” — but actually brokering a ceasefire that has now resulted in the end of the Gaza War. He was awarded the Order of the Nile by Egypt, addressed the Israeli Knesset, and stood beside regional leaders to bring this chapter of violence to a close. Whether the media wishes to acknowledge it or not, history already has.
. @amanpour apologizes after getting caught being pro-Hamas.
I’m told @cnn made her. She didn’t want to say anything. pic.twitter.com/c10N1GsIO2
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 13, 2025
The hostages are coming home, and while their bodies bear the scars of captivity, the world owes them something more than filtered commentary. They deserve honesty. They deserve outrage on their behalf. And yes, they deserve an apology from anyone who dared to suggest that their agony somehow came with perks.
Amanpour offered a mea culpa. That’s something. But it came after the fact, and only after public backlash. In moments like this, words matter. Accuracy matters. And when someone says something as “abjectly insane” as this, you don’t just correct it — you remember it.
She was told to do this by management. Fire this person already. To say Israeli hostages were treated well AFTER TWO YEARS IN CAPTIVITY by these monsters means Amanpour has no business being on the air unless she’s employed by @mehdirhasan – who is also worthless. https://t.co/7HtjyAtfsG
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) October 14, 2025
