‘FOR A FACT’

State Dept. Spox Speculates on Real Reason Hamas Hostage Deal Fell Apart

Matthew Miller asserted that Hamas didn’t want women to reveal how they were treated while in captivity—then walked back that explanation.

During a Monday press briefing, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department claimed that Hamas declined to release all of its hostages during the temporary ceasefire from Nov. 24 through Nov. 30 because the militant group didn’t want the women to reveal how they were treated. Matt Miller said there was “no reason” to question reports of Hamas’ sexual violence against Israeli captives and later stated, “The reason this pause fell apart is they don’t want those women [hostages] to be able to talk about what happened to them during their time in custody. Certainly, there is very little that I would put beyond Hamas when it comes to its treatment of civilians.” But Miller was later asked by Associated Press reporter Matt Lee to clarify if he had actual evidence to back up his claims, at which point the official backtracked and conceded that he didn’t know “for a fact” that his statement was true.