Freed Israeli hostage says Hamas captors 'wanted Kamala to be elected,' were 'very scared' of Trump's return

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Freed hostage says Hamas captors 'wanted' Kamala Harris to win election

Former Israeli hostage Omar Shem Tov told CNN in a new interview that his Hamas captors wished for former Vice President Kamala Harris to win the election and that his treatment improved after President Trump won in November.

A former Israeli hostage told CNN in an interview Wednesday that his Hamas captors hoped former Vice President Kamala Harris would win the 2024 election and that the terrorists were "very scared" of President Donald Trump returning to office.

Omer Shem Tov, 22, was freed in February after spending 505 days in captivity in Gaza. He was captured during the deadly October 7, 2023, terror attack at the Nova music festival in southern Israel.

Tov talked about his experience and about how the 2024 U.S. election played a role in how he was treated by Hamas in a new interview with CNN.

"They were very scared of him," Tov said of his captors' view of Trump. "They wanted Kamala to be elected."

RETURN OF TRUMP GIVES FAMILIES OF GAZA HOSTAGES NEW HOPE

Omar Shem Tov talks to CNN on May 28, 2025, about how his terrorist captors spoke about U.S. politics. (CNN/Screenshot)

"But as soon as Donald Trump was elected, they understood that he wanted to bring us back home. So immediately, the way they treated me changed," he continued. "When Trump became president, the way they treated us changed, for me personally."

"Because they anticipated that a deal would come soon?" CNN's Bianna Golodryga asked.

"Yeah," Tov responded.

"And that’s when they started giving you more food?" she continued.

"Exactly," Tov confirmed. "More food, started treating me better. Stopped cursing me. Stopped spitting on me."

Kamala Harris' office did not return a request for comment.

HOSTAGES FREED FROM GAZA TELL TRUMP HE WAS 'SENT BY GOD' TO SAVE THEM, BUT DOZENS MORE REMAIN

A freed Israeli hostage claims his Hamas captors followed the 2024 election and started treating him better after Trump won. (AP/Evan Vucci/Jacquelyn Martin)

In March, Tov visited the White House with other recently freed hostages and told the president that he believed he was "sent by God" to save them.

Tov credited Trump for securing his release in the interview with CNN.

"He got me out, he got the hostages out. Before, we felt like nothing was happening," he told Golodryga.

A clip of the interview was played on Wednesday's "Inside Politics" and anchor Dana Bash remarked that it seemed like the terrorists were trying to "fatten up" Tov because they believed he would be released under Trump's leadership.

Omer Shem Tov, who was kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, held in Gaza and released in February, is welcomed by the crowd as he arrives home from hospital, in Herzliya, Israel, March 1, 2025. (Reuters)

There are 58 hostages still in Gaza, at least 23 of whom are assessed to be alive.

Itay Chen, 19, Omer Neutra, 21, Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70, and her husband, Gadi Weinstein, 73, are all believed to have been killed by Hamas in the October 7 attack and their bodies taken into Gaza.

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Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.