According to a new report, Israel has agreed to release 700 prisoners in exchange for 40 hostages being held by Hamas. Among the criminals set to be released are 100 serving life sentences for capital crimes. That means terrorists who murdered innocent women and children in cold blood.
On the surface, this seems like a horrible deal, and it was a Biden administration official at the forefront of negotiating it.
It doesn’t appear Hamas made any concessions to secure what is nearly a doubling of prisoners released compared to the Paris proposal, which the terrorist government refused to even respond to. In a sane world, it would be Hamas being pressured by the international body to come to the table and lower its demands. Instead, Israel is bearing the brunt, having to do a delicate tap-dance between isolating allies and accomplishing its military goals.
This process is so perverted. Why are the United States, Egypt, and Qatar even accepting the premise that murderous terrorists should be released in exchange for hostages? One of the reasons there is never a lasting peace regarding the Palestinians is that they are continually babied on the world stage, given concessions they don’t deserve in exchange for false promises they never keep.
SEE: Hamas Breaks Ceasefire Agreement and Refuses to Release Hostages
With all that said, and while I think the deal is bad regardless, there may be a secondary calculation in the works. Namely, getting as many hostages out as possible before they invade Rafah, the last remaining Hamas stronghold. Perhaps Israel believes it can take care of most of the released terrorists on the field of battle, limiting the damage done by the out-of-proportion swap.
Of course, while this tentative deal exists, it doesn’t mean Hamas will abide by it. They’ve continually broken every ceasefire they’ve been given, and they’ve played games with the hostages throughout this ordeal. In the end, their destruction is the only thing that truly ends the hostilities. Israel knows that, and I suspect they have no intentions of calling off the final blow.
