Lessons from Hamas’ Playbook: The Psychology of Captivity, Hostage Exploitation, and the Manipulation of Western Audiences

AI Summary

The article examines how Hamas used hostage-taking and captivity tactics after the October 7 attacks to influence Western audiences, particularly through social media. Written from the perspective of a former US Army psychological operations veteran, it analyzes the psychological and information-operation dimensions of hostage exploitation.

Abstract This article examines the psychology of hostage handling and exploitation and how this was used by Hamas after October 7 to manipulate Western audiences, especially in the realm of social media. It is written from the perspective of a US Army PSYOP veteran and former Human Terrain Team (HTT) member with an OIF/OEF background. It draws on insights across … Read more The post Lessons from Hamas’ Playbook: The Psychology of Captivity, Hostage Exploitation, and the Manipulation of Western Audiences appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.