GAZA STRIP, ISRAEL: Hamas fighters reportedly consumed an illicit substance named Captogon to boost their alertness and "feel invincible" while slaughtering hundreds of people in Israel.
Israeli news site Channel 12 revealed that Captogan pills had been seized from Hamas prisoners and were also discovered near the bodies of dead militants.
The report also stated that some militants had taken the drug to "commit the inhuman murders" before unleashing the deadly attack on October 7, when they bombarded nearly 2,000 missiles on Israel and launched dozens of ground attacks that resulted in the death of more than 1,400 people.
Since then, horrifying crimes have been documented, such as babies being decapitated, kids having blades embedded in their bodies, and individuals being burned alive.
Taken by fighters who claim it gives them a sense of invincibility on the front lines, Captogon is a highly addictive amphetamine-like stimulant that has plagued the Middle East in recent years.
As per reports, the drug, which is nicknamed “the poor man's cocaine”, is used by ISIS and other extremist groups, to enhance their soldiers’ abilities despite it being banned in most countries.
The media has dubbed Captogon as "the drug of jihad" or "The Amphetamine Fueling Syria's War".
The drug, which increases focus and suppresses appetite and sleep, is assumed to be composed of a combination of fenethylline, caffeine, and other fillers.
Are Hamas militants really consuming Captogon?
As the specifics of Hamas' crimes come to light, further reports imply that some militants may have been drugged and used it to stay awake and experience a "euphoric" thrill, according to Daily Mail.
A video displaying bags of white powder at the rear of a car connected to Hamas has surfaced on X, formerly Twitter, although it's unclear what drug this was.
“Documentation taken by a friend of mine in the surrounding settlements: the terrorists arrived with bags of cocaine to fuel their satanic urge,” the post caption read, per Daily Mail.
However, the Palestinian militant organization has been pushed on the back foot since Israel formally announced the war and began pounding the Gaza Strip with deadly airstrikes.
Gaza suffered a major blow on Tuesday, October 17 when hundreds of citizens were killed in a deadly blast at a hospital.
The notorious history of Captogon
Captogon first emerged in Germany in the 1960s to treat narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and other ailments.
Although the drug was withdrawn, an illicit version was produced in Eastern Europe and then the Arab region, where it expanded into a multibillion-dollar black market.
The drugs gained notoriety in 2015 when it was discovered that ISIS terrorists were consuming them to numb their nervous systems prior to committing acts of terrorism.
After some time, large-scale production and distribution of Captagon pills began in Syria and Lebanon. Due in large part to the young people who were abusing the drug, Gaza became a popular destination for drug users
The medicine costs about $20 per pill in wealthy nations, but it can be bought for just $1 or $2 in impoverished ones, per The Jerusalem Post. Those who had consumed Captagon talked about the experience in a BBC documentary that aired in September 2015.
“I felt like I own the world. Like I have power nobody has,” one consumer said while another stated, “There was no fear anymore after I took Captagon.”
