Two teams and opposing arguments… an Israeli “division” on the hostage issue

The Israeli war government is witnessing differences of opinion regarding the conclusion of an agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages, with the Israeli army incursion into the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz indicated that there is a “division” among members of the government regarding reaching a possible agreement, mentioned recently in the media and commented on by officials in Israel and abroad.

The Israeli army has expanded its operations in the northern Gaza Strip, and so far it appears that Hamas is having difficulty defending itself in an organized way from the massive military force it faces, but it is clear that the Israeli army will have to cope with increased forces military. Resistance in the coming days, the newspaper reports.

Haaretz believes that in addition to conquering the territory of Gaza and striking military targets belonging to Hamas, Israel’s success in the war will depend on three factors: the release of hostages, the destruction of tunnels and the elimination of senior Hamas leaders.

While one government group believes it is necessary for Israel to move immediately to save all the hostages that can be saved, another group insists on the need to continue to put pressure on Hamas with all its strength.

But many relatives and friends of the hostages fear they will be harmed in Israeli attacks on Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas, while the government says the attack increases its chances of recovering the hostages, according to The Times of Israel.

Haaretz says the most important issue is the release of the hostages.

Qatar and the United States are trying to reach a temporary agreement under which 70 women and children held by Hamas will be released in exchange for a five-day ceasefire and the release of 150 women and children held by Israel, according to media reports.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said in a joint press conference with European Union foreign policy coordinator Josep Borrell on Sunday that his country was “more confident now in the possibility of reaching an agreement.”

He continued: “The swap deal has gone through some hurdles, but we are more confident that we are close to an agreement, and the challenges within the negotiations are simple, logistical and practical, and we can overcome them.”

According to Israeli authorities, Hamas has been holding around 240 hostages since the October 7 attack in Israel that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

Since that date, Israel has responded with continuous bombings and ground incursions, resulting in the deaths of 13,000 people, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave.

The Washington Post said a deal had been reached that would “allow the release of dozens of women and children detained in Gaza, in exchange for a five-day truce.”

According to the newspaper, “the release, which could begin in the next few days if obstacles are overcome at the last minute, could lead to the first lasting suspension of the conflict in Gaza,” according to people familiar with the details.

For his part, White House National Security Council spokesman Adrian Watson denied what was contained in the Washington Post report, but indicated that he “continues to work diligently to” free the hostages, as reported by the Al correspondent Hurray.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden stressed the urgent need to release “all hostages”.

Israeli and American officials have linked the release of the hostages to the agreement for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief has renewed his call for the release of the hostages and an “immediate” ceasefire.

Haaretz notes that National Unity Party ministers, including former Defense Minister Benny Gantz and former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, believe Israel must seize the opportunity and immediately save anyone it can, otherwise their lives they will be in danger, and they fear a Let’s repeat the case of pilot Ron Arad, whose plane was shot down over southern Lebanon in 1986 and has been missing ever since.

This team also fears that contact with the hostages may be interrupted due to the chaos in Gaza.

In the previous period there had been news of the death of four hostages in Gaza.

As for the other front, led by the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and supported in part by the Chief of Staff of the Army, Herzl Halevy, by senior army officers and by the General Security Service (Shin Bet), they see the need to maintain momentum and intensify military pressure on Hamas, and they see that this is the only way to extract more concessions from Hamas.

There are those who believe Israel should insist on the release of all seventy women and children before concluding the deal.

The person who has not yet decided his final position is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Haaretz says he is facing pressure from both the right and the left over the hostage issue.

A procession of the families of the hostages, accompanied by thousands of supporters, arrived at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Participants staged a mass demonstration demanding an immediate end to the war and the return of Israeli hostages by concluding a deal for the release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The Forum for Families of Hostages and Missing Persons announced on Saturday evening that “all families” will meet “the entire war cabinet” on Monday evening, and Netanyahu and Gallant will attend the meeting.

Kobi Ben-Ami, whose two family members were kidnapped, told the Times of Israel that the families were “praying” to meet with ministers to find out what they planned to do to return the hostages.

Many relatives of detainees in Gaza said they felt abandoned by the government.

At the end of the protest, the families met with Gantz and Eisenkot, and the latter told them that “the return of the hostages is the top priority before the destruction of Hamas.” He added that the possible hostage deal is being discussed “day and night,” according to the Times of Israel.

For his part, Netanyahu said in his press conference on Saturday evening that there were “many unfounded rumours” and “manipulations”.

He added: “I saw the march of the families of the prisoners and I told them that I was walking with you, and so far there is no agreement, and when there is an agreement, we will inform the families of the prisoners and detainees in Gaza .”

Netanyahu continued: “I asked to reunite the families of the prisoners with the war council to show them what we are doing in Gaza.”