An Israeli hostage who was held by Hamas for more than 500 days before he was freed says his captors were hoping Vice President Kamala Harris would win the 2024 presidential election — and that his treatment improved after President Trump won.

“Before we felt like nothing is happening, and I remember ever since [Trump] came into the role, they were very scared of him,” Omer Shem Tov told CNN.

“They wanted Kamala to be elected; but as soon as Donald Trump was elected, they understood that he wants to bring the hostages back home. So, immediately the way they treated me changed,” Shem Tov said.

The 22-year-old said he was intentionally starved during his time as a hostage and that he lost 50 pounds in captivity. But after Trump won, he says he received more food and that his Hamas captors “treated me better, stopped cursing me, stopped spitting on me.”

“So if it’s the amount of food — I can say this, that when Trump became president, the way they treated us changed — for me, personally. This is what I felt,” he added. 

He said he figured out he was being intentionally starved when he saw a tunnel filled with food.

“One time I did ask one terrorist about it, and he told me because of the army, there is no food. But I used to see them eat. I knew they weren’t skinny as me, you know,” Shem Tov said. 

“One time I remember I asked to go to the restroom, to the bathroom, and they took me out. I used to go every three days to the bathroom. And I remember me walking by another room in the tunnel and seeing a big amount of food, cheese and bread, huge amounts. So I was being starved. There is no question about it,” he added. 

Shem Tov was taken hostage when Hamas ambushed the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. He was released with five others on February 22.