I write Saturday night, briefly and to the point:
In recent days, despite predictions, I remained dubious about whether we would truly get our hostages home. There was dancing in Hostage Square, celebrating in many quarters.
I wanted to tell the rejoicing families, wait, wait, until they have actually come out. Hamas is slippery.
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Now, as Shabbat is out, and I access the news after a hiatus of some 25 hours, it does seem that they will be brought out, perhaps even sooner than expected. By 6 AM on Monday, we are now being told, although the proviso that it’s not a done deal until it’s done still stands. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are already here. President Trump will be here before too long.
The 20 living hostages, if this is the correct number, have suffered unimaginably. Many are surely close to death. They will be brought to three different hospitals, Beilinson in Petah Tikva, Ichilov in Tel Aviv, and Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan.
These facilities are experienced, having received hostages during the last release earlier this year. This time they are preparing extraordinary care for the hostages, who are on the edge of starvation. The Red Cross, which will be receiving the hostages in Gaza and bringing them to Israel, have been warned not to feed them. Food, offered with the best of intentions, can kill those who are suffering starvation.
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It is difficult not to feel some gladness that they are being brought out all at once – something that had not been imagined. And gladness for the families who have suffered great anguish.
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However, I am also filled with great trepidation. For we have not won the war with Hamas with this operation. We have brought the hostages out at a considerable cost.
This war had two goals, declared by Netanyahu: Defeating Hamas so that it can never cause harm to Israel again, and bringing home the hostages.
But only one goal is on the verge of being accomplished. The first stage of Trump’s 20-point plan is all that Hamas has agreed to. They certainly have not agreed to being disarmed. It is a point of pride with them that they will not.
Just today (Saturday), a senior Hamas official declared that “the group’s disarmament, one of the core conditions of Trump’s postwar agreement, is ‘out of the question.’ Speaking anonymously to AFP, he said: ‘The demand that we hand over our weapons is not up for negotiation’.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkr1yb00tlg
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Trump’s maneuvering to secure the release of the hostages was brilliant. The triumvirate of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey leaned on Hamas as never before, and it was, you can rest assured, not out of their concern for Jewish hostages. The president, a consummate deal-maker, provided motivation.
And so, Hamas agreed to the first stage of the Trump plan. No more.
Item #3 of Trump’s plan reads: “If both sides agree to this proposal, the war will immediately end.” There are many citing this, making the assumption that the war is over. It is not. Hamas did not agree to the totality of the proposal.
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Let us look again at the Hamas statement:
“…in order to achieve a cessation of hostilities and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip [i.e., of Israel], the movement announces its agreement to release all Israeli prisoners, both living and dead, according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal, provided the field conditions for the exchange are met.”
So, what has Hamas gained?
A ceasefire, for the moment, with a pullback of IDF troops to the “yellow line” – the first line of withdrawal specified in the plan.
“Hamas has recently been working to restore its control over several areas in the Gaza Strip that were recently evacuated by IDF forces, BBC reported.
“Local sources said the organization has reinstated around 7,000 members of its security forces in an effort to reestablish its rule in those areas.
“The report also stated that Hamas has appointed five new governors for Gaza’s districts. The appointees all have military backgrounds, and some previously commanded brigades within the terror group’s armed wing.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416100
This is nothing short of sickening.
In addition, intelligence reports suggest that remnants of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades are hidden in Gaza’s underground tunnel network, and blend into civilian areas.
https://www.oneindia.com/videos/15-000-hamas-fighters-hidden-in-gaza-tunnels-remain-at-large-israel-u-s-prepare-deadly-hunt-4268125.html
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Israel, it must be clearly understood, has no intention of pulling back to further withdrawal lines under these circumstances. It is up to Bibi now to be strong and stronger in the face of this. It remains to be seen how long that “ceasefire” lasts.
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Hamas is also gaining the release of terrorists from Israeli prisons. That was its other big goal in releasing the hostages (“the exchange formula” in their statement). Those released will also augment their fighting forces and their leadership.
A strong case can be made for never doing this. For amongst those who are released there will inevitably be a high rate of recidivism, which means dealing with further terror down the road. What we are doing is saving lives now, to be paid for with other lives – yet unknown – lost in terror attacks planned and fomented in the future by those who have been released from our prisons.
The latest word is that 195 prisoners with life sentences are being released – rather than the 250 that had been demanded. These include not only Hamas but also Islamic Jihad and Fatah members. Israel stood strong against the Hamas demand for the top-level terrorists such Marwan Barghouti, who had been sought by Hamas. The 1,700 plus detainees to be released apparently do not include any directly involved in October 7.
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Comments from Douglas Murray, making yet another very painful point about the release of terrorists:
“If the Israeli hostages do all come home on Monday then there will be rejoicing in Israel. But the celebration will be mixed with foreboding and mourning. Not just for the dead bodies that Hamas continues to use as bargaining chips, but because other relatives of other victims of Hamas will see their loved ones’ killers released onto the streets.
“I can’t think of any other country in the world that would accept such terms. Dead bodies of your murdered citizens in exchange for the murderers of your citizens.
“Israelis know how this process can go. They have been here before…
https://nypost.com/2025/10/09/opinion/trumps-historic-peace-deal-comes-with-a-bitterly-high-cost/
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There is talk now about beginning negotiations on the “next stage” of the plan, but it is clear that that Hamas does not intend to move on anything further. The current situation is exceedingly far removed from what is envisioned in Trump’s plan:
Item # 6: “Once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty.”
Item #13: “Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza.”
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I leave the situation here, with many unknows facing us. A great deal depends on how Trump intends to conduct himself, now that he has received the plaudits of much of Israel for his work on bringing out the hostages.
On Thursday night, Trump declared: “Last night, we reached a momentous breakthrough in the Middle East. We ended the war in Gaza, and on a much bigger basis, created peace… hopefully an everlasting peace in the Middle East.” (Emphasis added)
This is his typical self-congratulatory, over-the-top hyperbole. But it has serious implications here.
The article cited immediately above continues:
“That framing is not shared by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has insisted that an end to the war can only be declared once Hamas disarms and Gaza has been demilitarized.
“But the mediators [that triumvirate of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey] have sold a different version in order to convince Hamas to agree to release all 48 remaining hostages up front, assuring the terror group that Israel won’t be allowed to resume the war after the captives have been returned.”
This, my friends, is frightening. For if this group, and Trump, stand in the way of our responding to Hamas, then we will be potentially in a worse position than before the release of the hostages.
“Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ delegation to the cease-fire talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, declared that mediators and the US provided assurances that the war had ended; added that the deal includes a permanent cease-fire and the opening of Rafah Crossing.”
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjtnp00b6el#google_vignette
The opening of the Rafah Crossing would enable weapon smuggling again. It is Israel’s intention to prevent this, remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor.
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Can Trump – will Trump – truly ignore the fact that Hamas has not accepted his full plan? He says that Hamas will disarm. Precisely who would ensure this?
Analyst Amit Segal believes that Trump will stand with Israel when it is necessary for us to respond to Hamas.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416013
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There is a great deal that is yet unknown. We must wait for matters to play out after the hostages – let us hope! – have arrived home.
Monday night begins Simchat Torah. I doubt that I will write again until after the holiday.
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Please, pray for all of Am Yisrael.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
