Although its implementation was postponed from Thursday to Friday, and we still awaited it as of press time, we welcome the deal for a partial release of hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.
There was a 24-hour delay in the agreement because the deal had not yet been signed by Hamas and the primary mediator, Qatar, according to a report by KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said: “The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday.”
At the end of a marathon session Tuesday night, the cabinet agreed to a four-day pause in the war and to let in humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza, while Hamas will release at least 50 of some 240 hostages held since October 7, following which Israel will free at least 150 female and minor security prisoners from Israeli jails.
“For each additional release of 10 hostages, there will be an additional pause in fighting of 24 hours,” the cabinet decision said.
The cabinet vote was 35 in favor and three against – the three ministers in Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party. The deal, presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was backed by the heads of the security establishment – the IDF, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the Mossad – all of whom told the cabinet this was the right move and recommended approving it.
Addressing the nation later in the day alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu called the hostage release a “sacred” duty.
“Citizens of Israel, as prime minister of Israel, I frequently face tough decisions, between a difficult choice and an even more difficult choice,” Netanyahu said. “It is especially so on the issue of the hostages. The effort to bring all of them home is ongoing, and at this time, we can achieve the release of infants and children, mothers and women, who have swords at their necks. This is the precept of redeeming captives, which we have a moral obligation to carry out.”
Gallant said he was filled with sadness and joy, pain and relief.
“I am happy that, God willing, over the next several days, we will bring hostages home,” he said. “But I also think of those we won’t be able to bring home within this framework. We will continue to increase the pressure on Hamas, to exhaust them until we bring back everyone who has been kidnapped – the young men and women, the soldiers, Holocaust survivors, the elderly – everyone.”
For his part, Gantz said the return of the hostages is “a moral imperative and part of the resilience that enables us to win wars.”
In contrast, Ben-Gvir warned that it was creating a dangerous precedent. “This decision will cause us great harm for generations,” he said.
Although Religious Zionist Party ministers ended up supporting the deal in the cabinet vote, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the party’s leader, voiced concern that Hamas would seek to extend a ceasefire, enraging Gantz.
“Do you trust [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar more than us?” Gantz reportedly retorted.
The importance of a deal with Hamas to free the hostages
Trust is the crux of the matter. No one trusts Hamas or its leaders. They are evil terrorists whose massacre on October 7 will never be forgotten or forgiven. While all our leaders will have to face the music after the war, it is crucial at this point to present a united front and trust that they are doing their best to do the right thing.
The Talmud calls pidyon shvuyim (the redemption of captives) a supreme commandment, because captivity is viewed as worse than starvation and death. Maimonides wrote: “There is no greater mitzvah than redeeming captives, for the problems of the captive include being hungry, thirsty, unclothed, and they are in danger of their lives too.”
We all understand the need to return all the hostages as soon as possible. This deal is a necessary first step toward that goal.
“We’ll win this together” has become the Israeli slogan for this war against Hamas. At this challenging moment, it’s incumbent on us to stand together and exhibit an attitude of gratitude – toward our leadership, the security forces, and those who helped mediate the deal for the gradual release of hostages, which is set to begin today.