CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour apologized Monday after facing widespread backlash for saying that Israeli hostages freed from Hamas captivity were “treated better” than Gazans, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
The remark, made during a live segment, drew strong condemnation from viewers, Israeli officials, and media watchdogs who accused her of downplaying the suffering of the hostages.
Amanpour issued her apology hours after Hamas released the final 20 living Israeli hostages under a cease-fire agreement [2] brokered by the United States and Egypt.
“That was insensitive, and it was wrong,” Amanpour said on air. “From speaking to many former hostages and their families, like everyone, I’ve been horrified at what Hamas has subjected them to over two long years.”
She continued, “They’ve told me … their stories of barely being able to breathe in the tunnels, not being allowed to cry, being starved, and made to dig their own graves. And of course, today, some of the hostages are coming back in body bags.”
Earlier live on air, I spoke about what a day of real joy this is, for Israeli families whose loved ones are finally being returned from two years of horrific Hamas captivity, and for civilians in Gaza, who have finally had a reprieve from two years of brutal, deadly war.
I… pic.twitter.com/3OppU0kUhR [3]
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) October 13, 2025 [4]
Earlier in the day, Amanpour had told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins that the hostages “were probably being treated better than the average Gazan, because they are the pawns and the chips that Hamas had.”
The statement, broadcast live during CNN’s coverage of the hostage releases, immediately drew criticism for its timing and insensitivity.
The broadcast coincided with emotional scenes across Israel as emaciated survivors reunited with family members after 738 days underground in Hamas’ tunnels.
Among those freed was Israeli soldier Matan Angrest, whose family said he was repeatedly beaten until he lost consciousness. His mother told local media that he spent months confined in complete darkness.
“Many times they found themselves buried in dust under the rubble, trying to climb out and survive,” she said.
Other captives, including 24-year-old Evyatar David and 21-year-old Rom Braslavski, were held in isolation, starved, and forced to dig their own graves, according to Israeli hospital officials.
Doctors reported that many released hostages arrived suffering from severe malnutrition, infections, and muscle atrophy after two years of captivity.
Amanpour later clarified that her intention was to emphasize the humanitarian toll of the Gaza conflict but acknowledged that her phrasing was “insensitive.”
“It’ll take a long time for [the hostages] to recover mentally and physically,” she said. “But I regret also saying that they might have been treated better than many Gazans.”
The pro-Israel media watchdog HonestReporting criticized Amanpour on X, writing, “Starved, electrocuted, held in chains & cages underground, forced to dig their own graves. Is that what she considers being treated better than the average Gazan?”
.@amanpour [5]: The Israeli hostages have “probably been treated better than the average Gazan because they are the pawns & the chips that Hamas had.”
Starved, electrocuted, held in chains & cages underground, forced to dig their own graves.
Is that what she considers being treated… pic.twitter.com/RxNYOhwSF5 [6]
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 13, 2025 [7]
The hostages were among the more than 250 people kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when gunmen stormed southern Israel, massacring about 1,200 people and igniting one of the deadliest conflicts in Israel’s history.
Under the U.S.- and Egypt-brokered cease-fire, Hamas agreed to free its remaining captives in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and the return of more than 300 bodies.
The International Committee of the Red Cross oversaw the transfers as Israel temporarily halted combat operations and began withdrawing troops from Gaza.
President Donald Trump attended the cease-fire ceremony in Israel and Egypt, calling the deal “the end of an age of terror and death.”
Speaking before the Knesset alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the President declared, “Israel has won all that they can by force of arms,” and described the truce as “the historic dawn of a new Middle East.”
Following the ceremony, President Trump traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he joined regional leaders to sign the formal Gaza peace accord, calling it “maybe the greatest deal of them all.”
The agreement requires Hamas to disarm and establishes an international body to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction. Humanitarian convoys carrying food, medicine, and supplies began entering the enclave shortly afterward, according to international monitors.
A CNN spokesperson declined to comment on Amanpour’s apology.