Nothing justifies the taking of hostages — nothing 

Unimaginable sadness. Deep trauma. Waiting for news about your loved one. What could be worse?

Hostages are taken every day in many parts of the world. Sometimes it’s liberated, sometimes it’s not.

This week, 350 hostages, mostly women and children, were taken in Nigeria. Released from their hiding place By the Nigerian Army. They emerged weak and exhausted after being held captive by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram for months. Some of the girls gave birth to babies believed to be the result of forced marriages while in captivity.

Half a world away, Haitian gangs They kidnap innocent people and demand ransom payments.

And the leaders of 17 countries called out Hamas Free all remaining hostages in Gaza, who have been held for nearly nine months.

The Israeli military last week The body was discovered The four hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 were Amit Bousukira (28), Shani Luke (22), Itzhak Gellerenter (56; all three were at the Nova music festival) and Ron Benyamin (53), who was riding a bicycle in the area.

The Israeli Forum for Families of Missing Hostages announced it would release the video footage. Showing kidnapping Footage of a female soldier conducting field observation from Nahal Oz base on October 7. The footage is said to be gruesome.

Capturing innocent civilians and detaining them without a trace is unacceptable, especially when they are defenceless and vulnerable, such as women and children.

International treaty prohibiting hostage capture, etc. Define The crime is defined as “the arrest or detention of a person (hostage) together with a threat to kill, injure or continue to hold the hostage, with the intent to compel a third person to do or refrain from doing any act.” Article 96 clearly states that “taking hostages is prohibited.”

Hostages are not prisoners. they have not been charged with any crime. There is no due process. Their fate lies in the hands of their abductor. In most cases, kidnappers treat them inhumanely. Use it as a bargaining chip To achieve diplomatic or financial goals, or simply to show off your abilities.

Taking prisoners is not a new technique in war. It dates back to ancient times, The Reign of Julius CaesarHowever, it continues even in modern times when such tactics of using humans as bait and trade must be avoided.

America experienced this barbaric act of hostage-taking. At the US Embassy in Iran 1979.Centuries ago, President George Washington paid the ransom He donated over $600,000 to the Algerian pirates for the release of the American sailors.

Hamas has a history of taking hostages. In 2006, they abducted and held Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. 5 years or more It took place in Gaza before the Israeli government reached an agreement to release more than 1,000 Palestinian and Arab prisoners in exchange.

In 2007 they BBC journalist kidnappedAlan Johnston spent 114 days in captivity in what he later described as “appalling conditions”.

Today, according to the BBC: 125 hostages remain in Gaza — 37 people are estimated to have died.What we know from those who have been released is that many female hostages endure sexual violence, These include rape, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Diplomacy is often the best way to negotiate the release of hostages, but some governments are reluctant to cut deals with bad actors. The U.S. government has been aggressive in recent years in negotiating deals to bring hostages home, despite inevitable criticism.

For example, the US government announced: billions of dollars Last year, in order to bring five Americans home, it used South Korea and Qatar to avoid direct negotiations with Iran and supplement revenue from energy sales to Iran that had been frozen under sanctions.

Sometimes, as in the case of the basketball players, governments make “exchanges” with hostages. Britney Greiner He was released from a Russian prison in 2022 in a prisoner swap.

Calculate the value of a hostage Difficult; many questions have arisen as to why the Israeli government tends to release so many Palestinian prisoners for just a few hostages. (These ratios are mainly Debate about Israel’s prison system For years, many Palestinians in the West Bank have reportedly been detained without charge or trial, or simply held in administrative detention.

Regardless of politics, the reality of hostage taking, regardless of the reason or wherever it occurs, is brutal and unthinkable. We need to collectively think about how to respond to this global scourge.

Tara D. Sonenshein is a former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Public Affairs and a senior fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.Hi.