Rumor – The Hamas group would have only freed male hostages, suggesting that all women would have been killed
Analysis
In one of the most sensitive topics in international news, the conflict between Israel and the Hamas group, the negotiations and stages of hostage release have become an intense focus of disinformation. After the latest release of Israeli hostages by the terrorist group, an accusation began to go viral.
These messages exploit the climate of polarization and take advantage of the composition of the last list of released hostages, which, as reported by a major news outlet, contained 20 men, to raise a serious suspicion: that Hamas had only released men and killed all the female hostages in its power. Read:
Version 1: HISTORICAL.. NOTE: ALL LIVING HOSTAGES WERE MEN. THERE WAS NO WOMAN, AND WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM… OUR SOLIDARITY TO THE FAMILIES WHO COULD NOT EMBRACE FAMILY MEMBERS TORTURED AND KILLED BY THE TERRORIST GROUP HAMAS.
Version 2: I am happy about the return of the Israeli hostages that Hamas released… BUT isn’t it sad and strange that no woman was rescued safe and sound? This clearly reveals what they did to the women… they are cruel and monstrous. And the feminists in this country and around the world? Do they have any words of sorrow and compassion to share with us? Will they save the women or hold demonstrations in European cities, frutillas (?!) [Note: The word ‘frutilhas’ is kept but noted as potentially irrelevant/unclear]… will they do something to save the women under the masculine paw of this terrorist organization? They released 20 lives…..20 men… the lives of women are worth zero to them. There were a total of 48 lives..
Fact Check
The story circulated widely among people more sympathetic to Israel and the country’s government. To verify whether the claim that Hamas only released men and killed all female hostages is true, we will answer three central questions: 1) Did Hamas only free male hostages and kill the women? 2) Why were there only men on the last Hamas hostage list? 3) And what do we know about statistical data on the release of hostages?
Did Hamas only free male hostages and kill the women?
The claim that Hamas only released men is false. The rumor arises from the decontextualization of a single event, the composition of the last batch of released hostages, made up of 20 men in October 2025. However, several women have already been released in previous phases by different means.
For example, in the first days of captivity, before any formal agreement, Hamas unilaterally released four women for humanitarian reasons. Furthermore, the soldier Ori Megidish was rescued in a military operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in October 2023. These facts, which precede the most recent batch, already demonstrate that the story is false.
Why were there only men on the last Hamas hostage list?
The focus on men in the last release list (20 in October 2025) stems from the dynamics of the negotiation phases. Most civilian women and children were prioritized and released in the first major ceasefire agreement, held in November 2023. This historic agreement resulted in the release of 105 hostages, a group that included almost all the captured civilian women and children.
After this first stage, the majority of female hostages who remained in captivity were soldiers or women who, for other reasons, did not meet the initial release criteria, and were subsequently released in subsequent agreements or through military rescue. In January 2025, for example, four female soldiers (Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy) and three other women (Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher) were released in new rounds of exchanges.
What do we know about statistical data on the release of hostages?
Statistical data compiled up to the date of the last release (October 2025) show that 168 hostages have been released alive in various phases and by different means. The highest number of releases occurred in the first truce in 2023, when 105 hostages were released, with the majority of civilian women and children returning home.
Furthermore, the count includes the 30 released in January 2025 and the 20 in October 2025. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also rescued at least eight living hostages, including the hostage Noa Argamani, kidnapped at the Nova music festival, rescued in June 2024. The Hamas group also unilaterally released five hostages at different times, outside the major ceasefire agreements.
Conclusion
The message suggesting that Hamas only freed male hostages and killed all women is false and based on intentional decontextualization. The majority of civilian women and children were released in the first major truce in November 2023, before the last batch of hostages. Since the beginning of the captivity, 168 hostages have been released alive through ceasefire agreements, unilateral negotiations, and military rescues, which includes a significant number of women.
Fake news ❌
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