Wait, Did an NBC Reporter Just Insinuate Israel Kidnapped Palestinians for Negotiation Purposes?

Where do they find these people? I’m serious. We clinched a historic peace deal on Monday to end the Gaza War and the release of all the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, and NBC News goes this route. Reporter Daniele Hamamdjian decided to take a swipe at Israel for detaining almost 2,000 Palestinians, whom she obviously tried to pass off as harmless civilians, when we know that most are probably terrorists. It gets worse: she suggested that Israel kidnapped these people to bolster their bargaining chips for the deal that was inked in Egypt [emphasis mine]:

WATCH: NBC’s Daniele Hamamdjian says at 137am Eastern Palestinians now “have their land” back that “they have fought for — for — for decades” even if “they have nothing [else] to go back to” and will welcome home their own “hostages” from Israeli custody...

“October 31st, 2023,… pic.twitter.com/ORB0lntQGo
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 13, 2025

I remember distinctly a UN official already describing Gaza as a graveyard for Palestinian children and here we are two years later, nearly 20,000 children dead and much needed aid. They have nothing to go back to, but they have their land. And for Palestinians, boy, that is what they have fought for — for — for decades. I myself right now am outside Ofer prison. This is the largest prison in the West Bank.”
“As part of this hostages for prisoners exchange, we will see 2000 Palestinians released from prison. Who are they? Let's start with right here, 250 security prisoners, convicted murderers serving multiple life sentences. Some of them will be sent to Gaza. Some of them will be deported to third countries. Some of them will go to East Jerusalem. But about 100 or so will be boarding busses shortly and will be sent into the West Bank, and you'll be able to see them right behind me.”
“Now, we've seen family members of those hostages trickle in to the city of Bethania, which is where I am, and they don't know how long it's going to take in the past. It's taken in some cases, hours. And they were released in the middle of the night. In some cases it's happened quite quickly. So it might be a very long day here.”
“But over to Gaza, 1,700 Palestinians detained in Gaza will be released. They are in some cases minors, doctors, nurses, journalists who have never been charged. It's really important for people to remember that they've been held under what's called administrative detention. It's a controversial practice that allows Israel to detain people for an indefinite period of time without charging them. These people do not know why they have been detained and so, in the eyes of many Palestinians, you ask them, they consider those people held without charge also as hostages. And Palestinian officials will tell you that they believe Israel has been arresting them, arresting as many as they can to gather to amass as many bargaining chips as possible for these negotiations.”