Freed Hostage Slams Anti-Israel Film, Cites IDF Efforts to Spare Civilians

Omer Shem-Tov, who was held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 505 days after being abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, has sharply criticized the anti-Israel documentary "Accidental Damage" (NAZ). The film, which reportedly features interviews with anonymous Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers, recently won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival. Shem-Tov described the film's lengthy applause as a "hail of knives," arguing that it portrays the intentional killing of Palestinian civilians while ignoring the October 7th attacks that initiated the war. He stated that within the film's narrative, he himself is depicted as collateral damage.

In an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal, Shem-Tov shared his experiences as a hostage in active combat zones. He recounted how his captors would flee and abandon him when they anticipated an Israeli attack. In one instance, a Hamas militant told Shem-Tov that the IDF had contacted his mother to warn her to evacuate her home. "I was there, a hostage, starved and tortured by her son, while my army was trying to keep his mother alive," Shem-Tov wrote. He posited that if an Israeli bomb had killed him due to his location being unknown to the air force, Hamas would have achieved a double victory.

Shem-Tov also described how his captors celebrated the deaths of IDF soldiers and reveled in Israeli airstrikes that fell near his location. "For the terrorist, every explosion was proof of success. I understood that for Hamas, destruction itself is victory," he explained. Conversely, he highlighted Israel's efforts to minimize civilian casualties through leaflets, warning messages, and evacuation calls.

Addressing UN figures on civilian casualties in urban warfare, Shem-Tov noted that Israeli and American analyst estimates suggest a ratio of 1.5 to 2 Palestinian civilian deaths for every Hamas combatant in Gaza, which he considers low for such intense fighting. He emphasized that decisions to avoid strikes to save Palestinian lives came at a cost to Israel, endangering soldiers, giving Hamas time, and prolonging the captivity of hostages. "If Israel had cared less about collateral damage, perhaps I would have returned home earlier and fewer soldiers and hostages would have been killed, but more Palestinians would have died," he concluded.