More than two years after the carnage of October 7 2023, the final surviving 20 hostages are being released today. None of the women and children taken hostage by the Gazans have survived their captivity under Hamas*. The first seven male hostages freed- Eitan Mor, Alon Ohel, Ziv and Gali Berman, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Omri Miran and Matan Angrest -are being welcomed back into the arms of their families and country and the rest will be released as the day progresses. For the whole of Israel, this is a day of joy and relief, tempered by the deepest sorrow for the ones lost.
In return for the twenty, nearly 2000 Palestinian terrorists and criminals are being released. Such a deal could have been made anytime in the last two years but Hamas backed by a global coalition of muslims, leftists and neo-nazis refused. A high deathtoll of their compatriots and Gaza being laid to waste are costs that the terrorists and their enablers were happy to pay. The released Palestinian prisoners – not hostages as the BBC has described them- will have a grim homecoming and one can only hope that it gets worse for them.
The first phase of the peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump is on its way to successful completion and the US president has been hailed as a hero in Israel. He may not get the same rapturous reception when he lands next in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt for a peace conference of more than 20 world leaders. The Palestinians are a feckless people who have been known to sabotage every opportunity given to them. Their leaders are criminals and charlatans. If the regional Arab countries do not accept the grim and thankless task of keeping them in check as Gaza rebuilds, an endless cycle of violence awaits. Hamas has already set about eliminating its enemies and some even envisage a civil war within the territory.
Fearing of a civil war in Gaza, a retired security officer who served for years with the Palestinian Authority said he feared the territory was heading towards another round of internal conflict.
‘Hamas hasn’t changed. It still believes that weapons and violence are the only means to keep its movement alive,’ he told the BBC.
‘Gaza is flooded with arms. Looters have stolen thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition from Hamas stores during the war, and some groups have even received supplies from Israel.
One can only hope.
*I was wrong about this and should have checked. 4 female hostages were returned alive in January 2025 after being held captive for 477 days.
