A prominent Chinese Communist Party propagandist celebrated the rescue of Israeli hostage Noa Argamani along with three other people held by Hamas and praised the terrorist group for treating her “humanely.”
Since October 7, Beijing’s diplomatic support of Hamas and its allies has hardened, with the party repeatedly defending attacks that Hamas and its allies have perpetrated against Israel. A Chinese official argued that Palestinians have an “inalienable right” to “armed struggle” during oral arguments during an International Court of Justice case about Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza. The Global Times, an English-language propaganda outlet run by the Chinese Communist Party, endorsed Iran’s missile barrage targeting Israel in April.
On Sunday, former Global Times editor in chief Hu Xijin provided the latest example of Beijing’s affinity for Hamas. He posted about Argamani’s rescue during an operation by the Israel Defense Forces, congratulating the hostage and her family on her return to Israel. While Hu stepped down from the top job at the CCP outlet in 2021, he remains a prominent and pugilistic voice for Beijing on X. He continues to produce a regular podcast for the Global Times.
“She appears to be in good condition,” he wrote in the post, referring to Argamani. “Considering the difficulties in obtaining food and water in Gaza, it is fortunate that she survived. This also indicates that Hamas treated her humanely after taking her hostage.” Hu, of course, ignored the fact that Palestinian operatives infamously took Argamani hostage along with her boyfriend Avinatan Or — who remains in captivity — on October 7, during the massacre at the Nova music festival.
Most important, it’s not true that she was treated well while she was held in Gaza. According to the Times of Israel, doctors determined that Argamani and the other hostages were malnourished, and she told Israel’s Channel 12 News that she had faced four near-death experiences in captivity, according to the Times of Israel.
Hu seems to have taken a special interest in promoting narratives surrounding Argamani’s release because her mother is a dual Chinese and Israeli citizen. Yet while the Global Times defends Hamas’s treatment of the hostages, China declined to play a role in the effort to bring Argamani home. After the IDF operation that freed Argamani, the Israeli news website Ynet reported that the Chinese government had rebuffed pleas from her mother — who is dying of brain cancer — to press for her release.