2025/11/02 by Sara Zamir · 1 voice
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Belt and Road Initiative #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies #Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
paper · doi:10.1080/13537121.2025.2502761
openalex publication_date 2025/11/02 · openalex created_date 2026/01/14 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14
The ceasefire agreement initiated in early January 2025, was a culmination of extensive negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with active involvement from both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration. The primary objective was to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists-prisoners detained by Israel. This study examines the release of hostages by Hamas within the framework of media event theory, analysing whether such orchestrated ceremonies align with the Media Event genre or the Reality Television paradigm. The paper argues that Hamas’s hostage-release ceremonies constitute a distinct media event: Coercion Event. Unlike ordinary media events that celebrate competition, tradition or achievement, Coercion Events are characterised by forced participation, psychological manipulation, and suffering for political propaganda. Through a critical analysis of Hamas’s staged media spectacles, the study highlights the instrumentalization of hostages as warfare and political messaging against the state of Israel.