On Friday, news that Israel and Hamas had finally signed an agreement brought a sigh of relief to the international community. That could mean the return of all remaining hostages, long held in unconscionable conditions, and an end to the brutal 15-day conflict. Monthly campaign in Gaza.
The first 42-day phase of the ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement begins on Sunday, with three of the 33 hostages scheduled for release being returned to Israel.
The exchange of the remaining 65 hostages (including dead and alive) is scheduled to be negotiated on the 16th day of the ceasefire. However, the return of these hostages will not begin until 43 days after the agreement, the second phase of the ceasefire.
It was placed on a festival table for the Bibas family, an Israeli family held hostage including 11-month-old baby Kfir, his 4-year-old brother Ariel, and their parents, Shiri and Yaden. Hanukkah candles are lit. December 9, 2023, Hamas Hostages and Missing Square in Gaza Strip, Tel Aviv, Israel. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)
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However, the families of the hostages still in Gaza are not yet completely happy, and while many are cautiously optimistic about progress, others believe the deal does not go far enough. There is.
“We are working on this deal [for] For more than a year, both sides tried to reach an agreement that was best for them,” retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Major General Yaakov Amidrol said in a discussion with reporters on Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Amidor clarified that there is no way to achieve a perfect solution, given the great complexity and the need to balance the value of human life with the value of achieving strategic security objectives.
“This is a deal. It's a bad deal. But this is the only deal that will allow us to rescue the 33 hostages,” he said. “And morally, I think it should be done.”
Amidrol pointed to objections to the deal raised by those who argue that the first phase should have included all hostages held by Hamas, and who say it would have a negative impact on Israel's security. pointed out.
Part of the cease-fire agreement reportedly includes a plan for Israel to withdraw its forces across the Gaza Strip to the Security Demarcation Line surrounding Israeli communities on the Gaza border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presides over a meeting where Israel's Security Cabinet meets to approve a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas in West Jerusalem, January 17, 2025. The proposed deal, aimed at ending the ongoing war in Gaza, would involve swapping hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. (Photo credit: Koby Gideon (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Details regarding the IDF withdrawal remain unclear at this time, particularly as it relates to the phase of the agreement and specific security corridors throughout the Gaza Strip, but The Times of Israel reported this week that the IDF will withdraw to the Gaza Strip. It was reported that he intends to remain until the end of his term. The last hostage is released.
“Israel is losing its ability to completely destroy Hamas,” Amidrol said. “Israel is losing its ability to maintain momentum, and no one knows what will happen in 42 days.”
The retired major general noted that it is unclear what kind of security agreement Israel has with the United States regarding the continued threat of Iran and Hamas, as the terms of the agreement have not been made public. Its military capacity, with at least 20,000 fighters estimated to have been killed, suggests a possible rally in Gaza.
Given these concerns, Israel's far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir reportedly threatened this week to resign if Israel agreed to a brokered deal.
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“Many people don't like this because it's clear that Israel is losing its ability to destroy Hamas as promised,” Amidrol said. “But we found ourselves in a situation where there was only one way to get the hostages home.”
A wall covered with photos of hostages held in the Gaza Strip after the deadly Hamas attack on October 7 calls for the release of hostages on January 17, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. On Wednesday, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced by the conflict's mediator. Formal approval from Israel's Cabinet was scheduled for Thursday but was postponed until Friday, but mediators insisted the agreement was still expected to come into force on Sunday. (Photo by Amir Levi/Getty Images)
Mr. Amidor explained that as soon as the Israeli army moved close to the area where the hostages were being held, it became clear that they had been assassinated by Hamas guards.
“We realized there was no military way to capture them, and we had to make a very difficult decision whether to hand over the hostages or not.” [lives]or are you trading? ”
John Hanna, Dick Cheney's former national security adviser and JINSA Randy and Charles Wax senior fellow, said it was a “tortuous decision and a very painful one, but one that the people of Israel must make.” ” he said.
Hanna said the decision was “incredibly divisive” but that polls show a majority of Israelis support the return of the hostages over destroying Hamas completely.
“Hamas will be able to claim that it has survived,” Hanna said. “Israel, God willing, will achieve one of its major war objectives at the cost of the return of the hostages. [of] The aim is to annihilate Hamas both in the military and in the government. ”
Smoke and flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on November 2, 2023. (Ali Jadara/Anadolu)
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“The best agreements are the ones that are not achieved,” Amidrow said. “Here's the deal.”
“There was no other way to free the hostages, and from within Israeli society, it was very important,” said the retired major general. “Israel is a democracy and the government should listen to its people.”
