I don’t find “leverage” and political bargaining to be a good reason to take innocent people hostage.

It is when that political bargaining is necessary to get people out of permanent “administrative detention”, and when people need… Well, basically everything (including food and water) in Gaza (that’s always the case because of the blockade). Remember that half of Gazans are malnourished.

But even if I did, I think Hamas has a pretty fucking terrible track record of negotiating anything on the behalf of Palestinians.

They don’t, though. Remember Sheikh Jarrah? Hamas takes hostages because it’s the only thing that works.