Eli Sharabi reunites with his family after his release from Gazan captivity. Photo: IDF spokesperson’s unit

Adam Schrader’s latest piece in UPI, “Freed Israeli hostage says Hamas mirrored Israel in treatment of captives,” is nothing short of regurgitated Hamas propaganda.  

While it is not the first time that Schrader has spewed the talking points of the Gaza-based terrorist organization, his latest article takes bias to a new level, equating Israeli hostages with Palestinian prisoners convicted of horrific crimes and sourcing so-called human rights organizations that are tied to Hamas. 

Trust @UPI‘s Adam Schrader to abuse the torture of released Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi by twisting the story to falsely claim Palestinian prisoners are being treated in the same way.

Enough of this false equivalence between Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/9legWHTAl8

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 3, 2025

Schrader effectively twists the words of recently released hostage Eli Sharabi, whose first interview to Israeli media describes the cruel physical and psychological torture his Hamas captors subjected him and his fellow hostages to. Sharabi, who was taken from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri, was held in Gaza for almost 500 days. He survived on a single plate of pasta or one pita a day. 

The same lack of food cannot be said of the Hamas terrorists, who have shown up to hostage releases full-bellied, not to mention the fact that there should be no equivalence between the deliberate starving of Israeli hostages and the conditions of ordinary Gazans.  

There was no famine in the Gaza Strip. But that doesn’t stop Shrader from referring to “famine-like conditions” faced by “Israeli hostages & Palestinians alike.”

Fully fed Hamas terrorists deliberately starved Israeli hostages. There is no “alike” here. pic.twitter.com/8d26XdL5B0

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 3, 2025

Throughout the war, Israel has coordinated the entry of thousands of tons of aid — mainly food — into the Gaza Strip. Yet Schrader deliberately omits these facts to subtly imply that ordinary Palestinians are suffering equally with Israeli hostages kept in tunnels underground.  

Despite no signs of famine, if anyone is responsible for what Schrader describes as “famine-like conditions,” it is Hamas which has continuously diverted and stolen aid.  

While Israel’s often blamed for restricting aid to Gaza, Gazans are speaking up about the real culprit: Hamas.

Instead of distributing aid, Hamas seizes it—selling what should be free and taking food right out of families’ hands. (via @N12News) pic.twitter.com/CBNfdjM4RC

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 12, 2024

These misleading claims echo Hamas talking points no more than Schrader’s primary source: the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. What Schrader describes as an organization that seeks to “combat falsehoods spread by Israel,” is, in reality, an organization acting on behalf of Hamas.

🧵 Thread exposing senior staff of @EuroMedHR, one of the main groups promoting antisemitic narratives and terrorist propaganda in the media since October 7th. Unsurprisingly, its team openly supports terror and has clear ties to Hamas. pic.twitter.com/qtch5NVpIo

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) January 22, 2024

To consistently present a Hamas-front organization as credible further undermines the integrity of Schrader’s reporting, because a narrative of disinformation and anti-Israel bias takes precedent over fact.   

It is telling that Schrader spends more time focusing on the treatment of Palestinian prisoners accused of terror offenses than he does on Eli Sharabi, who was held by a terrorist organization for the “crime” of being an Israeli.

There is absolutely no moral equivalence between the two, regardless of Schrader’s attempt to suggest otherwise. 

Over 80 percent of the terrorists being released in hostage deals with Israel are convicted of violent offenses including murder, shooting, and assault. The vast majority of the Palestinian prisoners being released are affiliated with terrorist organizations. Portraying them as victims held unlawfully considerably reduces their culpability. 

Rather than honorably telling the story of the hostages held in Gaza, Schrader chooses to present a contorted version of reality, equating their experiences with those of convicted murderers. 

From manipulating Eli Sharabi’s experience as a hostage to whitewashing terrorists in prison for terror-related offenses, Adam Schrader has turned his work at UPI into a platform for spreading Hamas talking points. This isn’t journalism; it’s propaganda designed to distort the truth and mislead readers.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.