The Israeli-Israel Interaction After the Oct. 7 Attacks: Why Israel vs. Hamas is Threatening to the State of Israel
The deal isn’t a representation of the fighting being over. In a statement, the Israeli government said it would continue the war in order to return home all the hostages, complete the elimination of Hamas, and make sure there is no new threat to the State of Israel from Gaza.
White House officials said that Mr. Biden decided that persuading Netanyahu to agree to a long suspension of fighting would require linking the break to a deal to free hostages in the tunnels.
The case was made more quickly by Mr. Biden after the Hamas attacks and a face-to-face meeting in Israel, according to officials. Mr. Biden’s initial full-throated embrace of Israel’s right to defend itself in the hours after the Oct. 7 attacks has evolved into repeated calls for restraint by the Israeli forces in Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu has consistently refused to consider a wide-scale halt to Israel’s military operations in Gaza unless it would lead to the release of the hostages.
The White House said the deal would include the release of three Americans, two of which were women and a toddler. The officials said they would continue to push for the release of all U.S. hostages.
As Israel and Hamas indicated that they were preparing a cease-fire to free 50 hostages, some families of those abducted to Gaza last month were grappling with conflicting emotions: a growing optimism that their loved ones would return that was chilled by a gnawing fear that the deal might collapse — or worse, that they might be left behind.
“If we’ve been on a roller coaster, now we’re going up,” said Gili Roman, whose sister Yarden Roman was taken hostage from Be’eri, a Gaza border kibbutz, during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7. The fear is that we will fall if we go higher. There is a lot of anxiety.
Despite the temporary truce, Israel says it will continue the war in Gaza after the exchange deal is complete. If Hamas freed at least 50 Israeli hostages, it would free an additional 150 Palestinian prisoners, and extend the temporary cease-fire up to five more days.
Israel and Hamas Hostages Wait with Hope and Fear: Yifat Zailer, whose cousin was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, last seen Oct. 7 by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a
Yifat Zailer — whose cousin Shiri Bibas was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with Ms. Bibas’s husband, Yarden Bibas, and their two red-haired children, Ariel and Kfir — said her anxious wait for news has been tinged by the hope that she might soon see her loved ones and the fear something might go awry.
She said she was trying to not to be happy too quickly. It could collapse tomorrow. We might see the days pass, the hostages returning — and Shiri and her children not among them.”
Sheffa Phillips-Bahat, 15, a resident of the kibbutz, had two cousins who were kidnapped by Hamas — brothers Or, 16, and Yagil Yaakov, 12. Their father, Yair Yaakov, was also taken hostage.
Yarden is likely to stay behind even if Ms. Bibas and her friends come home as part of the hostage deal.
Yagil appeared in a video released on Nov. 9 by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an armed group based in Gaza that invaded Israeli towns on Oct. 7 alongside Hamas. In the video, he asked Israel to bring him home. Hostages are often forced to make statements in such videos, which are likely to have been coerced.
Gaza Hospitals as Covert Command Posts: A “Massive Attack” on the Indonesian Hospital, a Observed Warning to the Security and Humanitarian Interactions
Ms.Phillips-Bahat and her family are still hopeful, but they don’t know whether her cousins will come home in the exchange.
The leader of Hamas’ political wing said Tuesday that the militant group had “delivered its response” to mediators in Qatar and that it was “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel more than six weeks after its Gaza-based fighters launched a massive cross-border attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and seized around 240 hostages.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement late Monday that its president, Mirjana Spoljaric, had met with Haniyeh in Qatar, calling for “the immediate release of hostages.”
“The ICRC is insisting that our teams be allowed to visit the hostages to check on their welfare and deliver medications, and for the hostages to be able to communicate with their families,” the aid group said, adding that as a humanitarian intermediary, it “does not take part in negotiations leading to the release of hostages.”
Speaking to NPR, Medhat Abbas, a doctor at the Indonesian Hospital, said about 120 people were evacuated from the facility to Nasser Hospital in the south of Gaza. Gaza’s health ministry says at least 500 wounded people and more than 2,000 displaced Gaza residents remain stranded inside. A spokesman for the ministry says that the number of people in Gaza Hospitals has gone up.
Israel, which insists that hospitals in Gaza are being used by Hamas as covert command posts, has received international criticism for attacks that have hit the medical facilities.
In a status report on Tuesday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday’s attack on the Indonesian Hospital marked the fifth time the facility had been hit since the start of hostilities.
“This health facility is under an electrical power (blackout) due to lack of fuel and it also faces severe shortages of water, essential medicines and supplies.”
The Gaza Conflict: What Will Israel Do? The United Nations and Gaza’s High–Dimensional War on Gaza Needs to End
Israel’s military released a video they said proved that Hamas had used the largest hospital in Gaza as a covert base. The facility was badly damaged and its electricity was cut off while Israeli soldiers captured it. Some premature babies were taken to hospitals in Egypt for treatment on Monday.
WFP and our partners need more access and resources, like fuel, gas, and connection, to reach those in need. To make a real impact, we need hostilities to halt.”
“With winter quickly approaching, unsafe and overcrowded shelters and the lack of clean water, civilians are facing the immediate possibility of starvation,” Cindy McCain said, adding that the needs of Gazans could not be properly met at a single border crossing.
The first group succeeded in persuading Mr. Netanyahu to hold off on the vote, according to three officials. They hoped that more pressure on Israel at the negotiating table would allow more hostages to be freed.
Some people, including David Barnea, the head of Mossad, argued that the deal was better than no deal and that the invasion could continue after a brief cease-fire.
Israel under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu who is under indictment for corruption and whose cabinet includes racists unleashed a total war against the Palestinian people. In Gaza, 1.6 million people were forced to leave. Food, water, medical supplies and fuel were cut off. The United Nations estimates that 45 percent of the housing units in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 12,000 Palestinians, about half of whom are children, have been killed and many more wounded. Every day the situation gets worse.
If more hostages are freed, Israel should consider extending its planned four-day pause in fighting beyond the weekend. The United States and international community are growing concerned about the humanitarian toll in Gaza even though Israel continues to dismiss calls for a longer-term cease-fire.
Officials in the region expect intensive diplomacy to continue, with potential visits in the near future by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and other senior U.S. officials.
He said that the dynamic that they put in play is interesting. They don’t expect the pause will end with a cease-fire.
Martin S. Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said that he thinks President Biden is against a cease-fire because he thinks it would be a victory for Hamas.
The White House official for the Middle East said in an interview that the agreement will allow for more transit through multiple border crossings into Gaza that had been bombarded by Hamas.
When he got back from the Middle East Mr. McGurk suggested that the pause could be extended with more time.
Israel’s Channel 12 News: Israeli Airstrikes and the Abundance of Humanitarian Food and Fuel for Gaza After the March 11 Attack
Israel’s Channel 12 news says the deal allows “significant” humanitarian aid into Gaza, including desperately needed fuel to run generators — the only source of electricity throughout much of the besieged territory. Gaza has suffered a dire shortage of food, water, and medical supplies since last month when the territory was invaded by Israel. The trucks carrying aid and fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza.
An American official said that a halt to the fighting could give American officials enough time to negotiate with Israeli officials for safe areas.
U.S officials say that the US and UN are focusing on getting Israel to allow for the creation of safe areas in the south, which would be entire neighborhoods that have been relatively undamaged by strikes so far.
As it pummeled Gaza City in the north, the Israeli government told residents to go to southern Gaza, and many did so. But Israel has continued to carry out airstrikes across the south with large munitions: 1,000- to 2,000-pound bombs.
“We have made clear to them, as we have made clear publicly, that we think they should not commence with further activities in the south until they have taken the proper steps to account for the humanitarian needs there,” Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, said at a news briefing on Tuesday.
An offensive in the south with high civilian casualties would make Israel look like a pariah in the eyes of the global community and would demand a long-term cease-fire, said U.S. officials.
Shortly after the attack, the government of Qatar, a small Gulf emirate that hosts some Hamas leaders but maintains close relations with the United States, approached the White House with information about the hostages and suggested the possibility of a deal to win their release. A group of U.S. officials were asked to work secretly with the Israelis, as requested by the Qataris.
“Last night’s deal is a testament to the tireless diplomacy and determination of many dedicated individuals across the United States government to bring Americans home,” Mr. Biden said on Wednesday on X, the platform formerly called Twitter. “Now, it’s important that all aspects are fully implemented.”
Hamas fighters are the ones that kill me. I’m going to kill my sister, I know she’s alive, but I don’t want to kill her
Holding people as hostages is a war crime and should be stopped by Hamas. But it is appropriate that Israel release prisoners and detainees to advance this goal,” said Jessica Montell, executive director of the Israeli human rights group HaMoked, which provides legal aid to Palestinians.
The top lawyer for the National Security Council and the White House Middle East czar were asked by Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, to take the lead. To preserve secrecy, other agencies were kept in the dark about the initiative.
Mr. McGurk, who has wide contacts in the region, held early morning phone calls each day with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and then briefed Mr. Sullivan, who kept Mr. Biden informed. Mr. Sullivan stayed in touch with Ron Dermer and Tzachi Hanegbi, two of Mr. Netanyahu’s closest advisers.
We’re very welcoming for everyone who came out of this terror and horror. It is hard because I am sure my sister will not be among the 50 people. So I’m trying hard not to get my hopes up.”
When Hamas fighters attacked the Supernova concert, Romi Gonen was able to call her mother. In the recording shared by the family with NPR, gunfire can be heard and shouts can be heard, which the family believes are the voices of Hamas fighters.
“The last few minutes they are speaking of Romi, they are saying she is alive, they shouldn’t kill her, they should take her with them,” Gonen said. “Then one of them says, ‘Okay I will take her.’ And then the call ended.
Yarden Gonen, her mother and other siblings have been coming to a square in Tel Aviv where the families of hostages gather each day to share support and information. The other Israelis are also following the developments.
Gonen says that the sense of community has been essential to her family’s mental health. But even with help, she says these weeks of waiting were exhausting and terrifying.
We have ups and downs. She says they have a lot of support. “I have a new family right now. All the [hostage] families are in the same boat I’m in, suffering from the same pain and uncertainty.”
A group of families that were taken hostages urged the Israeli government to release additional hostages as quickly as possible.
Israel has indicated by releasing a total of 300 Palestinian prisoner names that more exchanges of Israeli hostages for prisoners may may occur in future phases of the negotiated deal, if the initial agreement is carried out.
The Israeli War on Gaza: Why Israel is Helping Gaza and What It Can Do for the Palestinians, and What Israel Can Do to Help
While Yarden Gonen worries about her sister, she is also frightened for her partner, who’s been called up to serve in Israel’s army as part of a mobilization of 300,000 reservists to support the war.
That fear is caused by not knowing what they’re going to do, or how they’re going to do it.
“I just keep on praying and sending really good energies,” Gonen told NPR Wednesday, after details of the deal were made public. “I’ll be excited for anyone that will be [released] because they are my family too.”
It is necessary for us to be clear about facts in order to bring this war to an end. Hamas launched a terrorist attack against Israel in October, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. On a per-capita basis, if Israel had the same population as the United States, that attack would have been the equivalent of nearly 40,000 deaths, more than 10 times the fatalities that we suffered on 9/11.
First, Hamas has made it clear, before and after Oct. 7, that its goal is perpetual warfare and the destruction of the state of Israel. A spokesman for Hamas told The New York Times last week that they hoped the war would last on all of Israel’s borders.
Israel has done nothing since 2000 to give hope for a peaceful settlement, and has done nothing to improve living conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank.
The political transformation of Gaza will require new leadership from the Palestinians. For that transformation and peace process to happen, Israel has to make certain political commitments that allow for Palestinian leadership to be committed to peace. They must guarantee displaced Palestinians the absolute right to return to their homes as Gaza rebuilds. Those living in poverty and despair can not be made homeless. Israel needs to freeze settlements in the West Bank and end killings of Palestinians in the area in order to permanently end the occupation. After an interim stabilization period under an international force, the Palestinian Authority should have the legitimacy it needs to claim control of Gaza, thanks to those steps.
If long-suffering Palestinians are ever going to have a chance at self-determination and a decent standard of living, there must be no long-term Israeli re-occupation and blockade of Gaza. If Palestinians are given the chance for a better life, and Hamas is removed from power, an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be counter-productive and would benefit Hamas. Gaza needs to be free of Hamas in order to have a brighter future for the Palestinians. No long term Israeli occupation is possible.
This is not going to happen on its own. The current coalition agreement shows that Mr. Netanyahu wants Israeli sovereignty between the Sea and the Jordan River. This is not just ideology. The goal of the Israeli government has been pursued. The last year saw record Israeli settlement growth in the West Bank, where more than 700,000 Israelis now live in areas that the United Nations and the United States agree are occupied territories. They have used state violence to back up this de facto annexation. The UN says that at least 200 Palestinians, including 53 children, have been killed by Israeli security forces and settlers. This cannot be allowed to continue.
The prime minister has made it very clear that he stands on these issues. So should we. Asking nicely wouldn’t put us in this situation. The only way these changes will happen is if the United States uses its leverage with Israel. We all know what that leverage is.
The first four-day cease-fire is scheduled to begin with at least 10 Israelis released each day. The Palestinians prisoners would be freed over the same period.
Israel published the names of the Palestinian prisoners slated for release in line with law, which allows the public to object to Israel’s Supreme Court. The group of victims petitioned the court to block the deal, Channel 13 reported. The court does not have the power to intervene.
On the list are 33 women and the remainder are teenage boys aged 14-18. Some have been charged with offenses such as stone-throwing and have been arrested by Israeli forces in recent years. Most are detainees awaiting trial on charges including incitement, stone-throwing and attempted murder. Some are being held in “administrative detention,” a detention without charge or trial.
Hen Avigdori, an Israeli comedy writer whose wife Sharon and 12-year-old daughter Noam are being held in Gaza, said the Israeli army promised to notify him ahead of time if they are slated to be released.
Yousef Afghani, a resident of Jerusalem, was surprised to see his daughter on Israel’s list of prisoners it is prepared to release. She has served seven years of her 15-year sentence, convicted for an attempted 2016 stabbing in which no one was wounded. She denied attempting to stab her father, she was carrying a knife.
“My feelings are the feelings of any father. Afghani told NPR that there was a celebration and happiness. But he also condemned the kidnapping of Israelis to Gaza, which resulted in the deal to free his daughter. “We are against any attack on civilians, no matter how small.”
Pope Francis met separately with relatives of Israelis and Palestinians who are captives of Hamas in Gaza. The conflict had gone beyond war, as Francis said he felt both sides were suffering. This isn’t war; it’s terrorism.
In addition to Israelis and U.S. citizens, foreigners from many countries are believed to be held by Hamas. Among them are more than 20 Thai farm laborers seized near the Gaza border in the Oct. 7 attack. She understands the Thais are not part of the exchange deal.
Biden’s congratulations to Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Jassim Al Thani
Biden thanked Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani, prime minister ofQatar, and Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah El- Sisi, for their help brokering the deal.
The humanitarian truce should help stop the war machine and bloodshed, according to Al Thani. Egypt will continue efforts to reach final and sustainable solutions that achieve justice, impose peace, and guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, according to El-Sisi.