The Israeli state has gone into overdrive to justify its war on Gaza. Central to Israel’s propaganda campaign is the claim that its siege is intended to rescue the over two hundred Israeli hostages currently being held in Gaza.

Mainstream outlets and public figures alike have repeated this uncritically. Comedian Sarah Silverman recently posted a meme blaming Palestinians for the bombs Israel is dropping on them since, according to her, Hamas could simply release the hostages to end the bombing. Last week, over three hundred famous actors published a letter in support of Biden’s war policy, urging us not to “rest until all hostages are released.”

But if the Israeli government cares so much about its hostages, why is it indiscriminately bombing Gaza? The reality, it seems, is that the hostages are being used as a propaganda tool for Israel’s brutal war.