IDF Arabic Spokesperson Avichai Adraee revealed in testimony before the Knesset that a video he released—explaining Islam’s own guidance on the treatment of hostages—directly affected how Hamas terrorists behaved toward Israeli captives.

Adraee said the strategy was to use religious language and Islamic sources to counter Hamas propaganda and communicate in a way the terrorists could not ignore. He noted that Hamas’s media arm had recently invoked Jewish law, creating an opportunity to insert authoritative Islamic teachings into the conversation.

According to Adraee, this approach had tangible results. Two recently freed hostages told him that the video reached the exact location where they were held and that it changed their captors’ behavior.