How three faces from Gaza reveal the true dynamics of this war

The picture like those of many others, stands as a testament to Israel's violations of prisoners' rights, basic human rights, and international law.

Noa Argamani

Images of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas tell a different story as they emerge from captivity.

Hostages have acknowledged the humane treatment they received from the group's military wing. Such pictures have become emblematic of the relatively good treatment that Israeli prisoners claim to have received while in custody.

One received particular attention. It was of Noa Argamani, an Israeli hostage kidnapped and held in Gaza. She was later released by Operation Arnon, carried out by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet security forces.

During the rescue, Israeli forces committed a massacre in Nuseirat in the middle of the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding hundreds of Palestinians.

Foreign and Israeli press reports had speculated that Argamani had most likely been killed after being raped.

Argamani emerged from captivity in good health, and went on to speak about the humane treatment and adequate food she received.

She said she was more likely to have been killed by Israeli bombings of homes and neighbourhoods in Gaza rather than her captors. She went on to describe how she was allowed to go out shopping, disguised in Islamic clothing and accompanied by her kidnappers.

Hamas had previously released multiple videos of Argamani since 7 October, to the extent that some referred to her as an "icon" of the hostage crisis.

There is a universe of difference between her picture and that of Obeiyat.

Argamani's photo, alongside those of other Israeli prisoners released either in the exchange deal in late 2023, or through Operation Arnon, run counter the claims by Israel and some Western media that Hamas beheaded Israeli children and raped Israeli women on 7 October.

Amin Al-Abed

For the entire story, we need a third picture: of Amin Al-Abed, accompanied by his father's anguished cries in the streets of Gaza, because it reveals another layer of the conflict.

Al-Abed is a Palestinian political activist in Gaza who opposes Hamas. He has posted criticisms of the movement on Facebook. In response, more than 20 masked men attacked him with clubs and knives, shattering his teeth and severely injuring his hands and feet. They were alleged to be from Hamas' internal security wing.

Focusing on the contrasting images of Obeiyat and Argamani to tell a story of the contrast in how each side in Gaza treats its prisoners is not enough to complete the picture.

The photo of Al-Abed also reveals something of the behaviour of Hamas, and a stark disparity into the value it has assigned to Palestinian human life.

Al-Abed's treatment was an egregious violation of human rights. It remains conspicuously overlooked by commentators, politicians, and activists within the sphere of political Islam and the Islamist left wing, who are aligned with the group.

They are quick to label Al-Abed and others who share his views, as well as those who condemn attacks on these activists, as colluders, traitors, and infidels. Such accusations appear to be ingrained in their political ideology.

The life and dignity of a Palestinian person seem to matter only when the aggressor is Israeli. If the victim is a political opponent of Hamas, attacking and killing them is justified as an act of resistance.

In combination, the three images of Obeiyat, Argamani and Al-Abed encapsulate the harsh reality that has been unfolding in Gaza for years.

Moral hypocrisy

While we often criticise the West for its moral hypocrisy and double standards over issues in the Middle East, we must also acknowledge and condemn the moral, religious, and humanitarian hypocrisy closer to home.

Failing to do so makes us complicit in the crimes of the groups at fault for them.

We provide justification for the West to practice duplicity and for Israel to continue its atrocities.

Ultimately, we become mere statistics, significant only when convenient and ignored when it suits their narrative. The value of lives lost should not depend on the perpetrator of the killings.