Hope and Anguish as Israel and Hamas Strike Hostage Deal
Over 30 hostages set for imminent release, but concerns grow over concessions and fate of those still captive.
A rare outpouring of elation and hopefulness swept through Israeli society Wednesday as relatives of Gaza hostages learned Hamas agreed to free over 30 abductees imminently.
However, the news also sparked deep pessimism and outcry from others, including some parents of hostages, over the high price extracted by Hamas and fears for those not immediately freed.
The joy highlighted the deep-rooted solidarity uniting Israelis, key to their survival in a hostile environment.
The anger underscored how this fraternity allowed Hamas to use hostages to endure a 14-month campaign for its dismantling and secure freedom for hundreds of terrorists.
Eitan Gonen, father of hostage Romi Gonen, a 24-year-old dancer wounded and taken by Hamas at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, expressed relief. “We know Romi’s coming back alive, possibly dancing her way in,” he told Channel 13, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Even if she doesn’t dance in, that’s fine. I know I will cry nonstop, I will struggle to take in oxygen. I’ll hug her so-so hard and make sure no bad person ever gets near her again,” added Eitan Gonen, a father of five who works as an engineer and lives in Kfar Vradim in the Galilee.
He had despaired last month over the failure to reach a deal, he told Ynet. “I can’t even see the light at the end of tunnel,” he had said.
Romi is reportedly among the 33 Israelis slated for release in the first phase of the deal, along with Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the redheaded children who have become icons of the hostages’ plight. It remains unclear how many on the list are alive.
The deal caused alarm among other parents, including Tzvika Mor from Kiryat Arba in Hebron, whose son Eitan is held in Gaza. At a rally Tuesday in Jerusalem, Mor warned the release of hundreds of terrorists would ensure a repeat of Oct. 7, 2023, when 6,000 Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251. The deal, he said, undoes military achievements that hundreds of troops died securing.
Mor also warned the deal created different tiers of hostages, incentivizing Hamas to hold on to some. “The selection my grandparents went through saved them from the Nazis,” he said, referencing how some Jews were sent to death and others kept alive during the Holocaust. “But the selection being made now could, God forbid, determine the fate of my son.”
Ditza Or, mother of Avinatan Or, another hostage, accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of acting like a “Judenrat,” referring to the Jewish committees the Nazis used to facilitate the annihilation process. Neither Avinatan nor Eitan is on the list of first-phase returnees.
Israel’s cabinet will likely approve the deal despite objections from hard-right coalition partners Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The first phase, reached with the involvement of U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, is set to occur over a six-week ceasefire. Hamas would release at least three hostages weekly in exchange for 30 Palestinian prisoners per civilian and 50 per female soldier. In total, Israel would release between 990 and 1,650 prisoners, depending on the number of living hostages.
Israel would withdraw some forces from Gaza and allow unarmed locals to return to its north but maintain troops in the Strip and its border with Egypt, a crucial smuggling route. Talks on the release of the remaining 64 Israeli hostages in Gaza would begin only after the first phase is completed successfully.
Ayelet Samerano, mother of abductee Yonatan Samerano, struggled to describe her emotions during an interview Wednesday with Christenen voor Israel. She believes her son is alive, though the IDF believes he’s among the dozens of dead hostages in Gaza. His name is not on the first-phase list.
“Let’s speak tomorrow. My soul is in pain today. This is a happy, sad day,” she said.
