It was Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) who referred to Hamas as the devil in an interview two days ago.
I thought that most appropriate: Hamas is completely devoid of ethics and compassion; has no allegiance to truth, no concern whatsoever with honoring commitments. This terror group is also exceedingly devious and adept at playing mind-games. They do psychological warfare, and their deviousness knows no bounds.
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An example of what we are dealing with: An Israeli stipulation in the agreement was that families not be separated. Last night, 12-year-old Hila Rotem was released without her mother, Ra’aya, who had been with her. Hila reported, after her release, that she and her mother had been together throughout the time of captivity, until two days ago, when they were separated. Now Hamas denies that it has broken the agreement, because they don’t know where Ra’aya is. Right.
Two other families were separated as well.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380954
This is what we are prepared to deal with in an effort to secure the release of some of our hostages.
There are some who believe it demeans us to strike a deal of any sort with this enemy, and, indeed, they have a point. But the situation is wrought with great emotion and hardly simple.
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As I write, three groups of hostages have been released and tomorrow, Monday, is the last day of the four days stipulated in Israel’s agreement with Hamas regarding a ceasefire during which hostages – 12 to 13 each day – would be released in exchange for significant amounts of humanitarian supplies to be brought into Gaza and terrorists without blood on their hands released at a 3-to-1 ratio: three terrorists for each hostage.
In this posting, I hope to touch briefly upon the most significant bases.
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I can report – with information directly from the field – that our soldiers who are doing the fighting are opposed to the ceasefire. They have been doing exceedingly well and do not like the break in the momentum. They are itching to finish the job.
And then, on the other side, there are the families of those hostages who have not been released. Their anguish is palpable, and I understand this. But they are mounting a pr campaign to put pressure on our government to continue the ceasefire until all hostages are released. The great majority of these people were from the communities at the border with Gaza that are/were very left-wing and very vociferous in their attacks on Netanyahu. They are continuing on the same path, with the same behavior, and what they are demanding weakens Israel.
As one very brave father of a child still in custody put it in a talk he delivered last night, there are personal priorities and national priorities, and they are not the same in this instance. He wants his child home – accusations from the left that he does not are cruel. But not at the cost of Israeli lives, he says.
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There are two ways in which there might be a cost of Israeli lives.
One is with regard to the terrorists we are releasing. They do not have blood on their hands, which means they were not successful in killing an Israeli. It does not mean they did not try – perhaps they knifed someone who did not die. Many of these terrorists lived in Israel – either with an Israeli residence permit or Israeli citizenship; they will be released inside of Israel, many in eastern Jerusalem, where they had come from. This means they will have the opportunity to try again to kill an Israeli.
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And then, of course, there is the possibility that the Hamas fighters will be strengthened, after the rest during the ceasefire and the acquisition of food, water, fuel and medical supplies – which are going into Gaza in enormous quantities (200 trucks per day!). And some of our boys will pay for this.
This is not acceptable.
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Our military is saying that Hamas agreed to this ceasefire because they were hurting badly. The way to secure the release of all the hostages is by continuing to hit them hard, not by negotiating deals that help them strengthen. Ultimately, it is the intent to secure the release of all hostages. The question is a matter of how to go about it.
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Fervently do I hope that the ceasefire will be terminated after the fourth group of hostages is released tomorrow. But at this point I know this is unlikely. Already, Hamas has put out a notice that it is interested in extending the ceasefire for four more days, releasing 10 more hostages each day. And apparently Netanyahu has expressed an interest in doing this.
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What is most troubling is the involvement of Qatar in this entire hostage/ceasefire situation. While it assumes a stance as a neutral negotiator, reveling in its ability to talk to both sides, in point of fact it is an Hamas ally. Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders live in luxury in Qatar and Qatar has sent substantial funds into Gaza over a period of time. Yigal Carmon, head of MEMRI, charges that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (pictured), prime minister and foreign minister, is a member of a crime family.
Egypt, says Carmon, would have been eager to serve as the sole negotiator and is bewildered by the reliance on Qatar. (I would say we can see Biden’s involvement here.) Egypt is no friend to Hamas, which is a Muslim Brotherhood spinoff.
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The hostage deal was supposed to begin on Thursday morning, but was delayed until Friday at 4:00 PM, because Hamas claimed that Israel was not meeting all stipulations.
The hostages who came out then said they had had nothing to eat but rice for the last two weeks. On the way to being released they feared being lynched, as bystanders pelted them with stones. Please note this carefully – we are speaking here about “innocent” Gazan civilians.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/380910
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Saturday, once again, Hamas delayed release of hostages and Israel indicated that if they weren’t released by midnight the ceasefire would end. At this point – and this is critical – President Biden became involved and signaled Qatar to pressure Hamas to shape up. And Qatar did.
The US has a military base in Qatar and considerable influence over Qatar for this reason. According to Caroline Glick just days ago, had the US breathed a hint of discontent about maintaining the base there and then suggested that Qatar push Hamas to release the hostages, the situation might have been very different.
My point here is that Israel is not being assisted to the maximum in securing the release of hostages. The onus always and ever is on Israel.
I will return to this important issue but note here that this situation applies as well with regard to taking care of the civilians of Gaza. The US has, for example, taken the position that no civilians are to be moved out of Gaza. This is patently ridiculous: it is routine for refugees in a war situation to be accommodated elsewhere. But in this instance, fingers are pointed at Israel, which is expected to make plans for these civilians.
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Yesterday, a delegation from Qatar showed up in Israel via private jet, to discuss extension of the ceasefire. Qatari officials have made no secret of the fact that they seek a permanent ceasefire.
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Pictures of the released hostages being reunited with family are deeply moving; it is difficult not to be touched by this. Here we see Emilia Alony, 8, embraced by her grandmother:
The first two groups were released to the Red Cross who brought them into the Sinai via the Rafah Gate. From Egypt they were brought into Israel. The third group was released from northern Gaza into Israel. All were brought to designated hospitals for family reunions and medical checks. To date, 41 Israel hostages have been released.
One hostage who came out last night, Elma Avraham, 84, was airlifted from Gaza directly to Soroka hospital because she is in life-threatening condition.
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Pray to Heaven for Israel, my friends. Pray for the safety of our boys and the rescue of our hostages, and the strength and wisdom of our leaders. Pray with a heart filled with hope, not fear.
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
