Hostages ‘brainwashed’ by Hamas in captivity, Likud MK says

The comment by Gotliv drew widespread condemnation, including from government ministers and coalition MKs.

 Likud MK Tally Gotliv speaks during a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on January 22, 2024 (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Likud MK Tally Gotliv speaks during a plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on January 22, 2024
(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Likud MK Tally Gotliv said in an interview on the Knesset TV channel on Monday that she did not heed comments by released hostages since they have been “brainwashed” in Hamas captivity.

Gotliv’s comment came in response to comments by released hostage Arbel Yehud during a Knesset committee discussion earlier on Monday, in which Yehud accused the government of “abandoning” the hostages and “sacrificing them in favor of a solution to the problem of Gaza.”

Yehud was taken hostage by Hamas in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and returned in January 2025 as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas.

The comment by Gotliv, who is known for making controversial statements, drew widespread condemnation, including from government ministers and coalition MKs.

“The remarks of MK Gottlieb are an insult to the families of the hostages and a blow to the dignity of the heroes who survived hell,” Interior Minister Moshe Arbel (Shas) said.

U.S.-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are escorted by Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel  (credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)
U.S.-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are escorted by Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel (credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

“The hostages are all a symbol of human strength, and the Jewish duty is to listen to them, embrace them, and not tarnish their name.”

Israeli MKs call out gov't, 'cult' of Netanyahu in response

Democrats MK Gilad Kariv wrote on X/Twitter, “The only ones afflicted by a syndrome of identifying with Hamas are [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his partners. They identified so much that they gave [Hamas] two billion dollars,” Kariv wrote.

Yesh Atid MK Shelley Tal-Meron wrote, “A member of the cult of Bibi [Netanyahu], talking about being brainwashed. This is truly a ‘miracle period.’”

Gotliv’s comments came a week after recently released hostage Edan Alexander and his mother Yael suffered from harsh criticism on social media after his mother did not thank Netanyahu in a speech following her son’s release.