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Israel-Hamas War: A light
at the end of the tunnel?

Release of Hamas-held hostages and a cease-fire in Gaza within sight

By Irwin Rapoport

January 16, 2025

Finally, we have a deal between Israel and Hamas to release some of the hostages taken during a brutal and horrific Hamas raid into Israel, which led to the deaths of more than 1,400 Israelis and other nationals, including Canadians and Americans, and the taking of more than 200 hostages on October 7, 2023. The world was shocked and stunned by this attack and for good reason, and few condemned Israel for responding in force.

The deal which was reached on December 15 only secures the release of 33 hostages but it is a good start as it also enacts a desperately needed cease-fire and a truce, which translates into no more Palestinian civilian deaths due to incessant Israeli bombings and much-needed humanitarian aid reaching civilians deprived of food, energy, and medical supplies via an Israeli blockade that according to numerous sources, was deliberately edging the people of Gaza towards starvation.

As noted, Israel’s initial response was justified, but then devolved into a prolonged campaign with civilians being deliberately targeted and places like hospitals, mosques, community centers, and designated safe zones being attacked. According to Palestinian sources, as well as other international ones, more than 46,000 residents of Gaza have been killed and more than 100,000 injured. These casualties will most likely generate future terrorists keen to seek revenge.

… most people, wherever they reside, mourn the deaths of individuals on both sides and agree that revenge for the deaths of those killed during the October 7 attack does not bring back the dead.

I can safely state that most people, wherever they reside, mourn the deaths of individuals on both sides and agree that revenge for the deaths of those killed during the October 7 attack does not bring back the dead.

Early in the campaign, Israel and Hamas did agree to a short-lived cease-fire, along with the release of several dozen hostages. The joyous return of the hostages in Israel and other nations was ecstatic and heartwarming. Sadly, no further exchanges of hostages in return for Palestinians held by Israel took place. Thus, the remaining hostages continue to live in fear daily, not knowing if they shall be released and see their family and friends ever again. We do know that several hostages have been killed during the fighting due to the bombing, by their captors, and by friendly fire in search operations conducted by IDF soldiers.

No one wins in a war and this Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in death, tears, and almost complete destruction of Gaza, for which many parts now resemble scenes of the aftermath created by the Allied bombing campaign of Germany in WWII. The images of rubble-strewn residential neighbourhoods in Gaza are jarring, as are the images of the dead – Israeli and Palestinian. The article The terrible cost of peace between Israel and Hamas: In numbers provides the facts.

These articles explain how the deal was agreed to and how it was negotiated:

What are the latest updates with the Gaza hostage deal?

Trump: Hostages to be released ‘shortly’ in ‘epic’ Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

This CBC article entitled Israel, Hamas agree to ceasefire deal to stop fighting and return hostages, provides some of the details of the agreement:

Deal would come in 3 phases

If successful, the ceasefire will end fighting that has levelled much of the densely-populated Gaza Strip and forced most of the pre-war population of 2.3 million people from their homes.

The shift could help lower the temperature across the Middle East at large, after the war spilled over into Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The ceasefire would come in three phases:

  • Phase one entails the release of 33 Israeli hostages, including all women, children and men over 50.
    .
  • Phase two was expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Negotiations would begin on the 16th day of phase one.
    .
  • Phase three is expected to address the return of all remaining bodies and the start of Gaza’s reconstruction supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.
    The agreement also calls for a surge in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the “priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict.” Both the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they were preparing to massively scale up their aid operations.

This is President Joe Biden’s announcement of the hostage deal, which was brokered through the intervention of the United States, Qatar and other international partners:

The president took some questions following his address, with the final one linking it to domestic American politics:

Reporter: “Who deserves credit for this Mr. President, you or Trump?

President Biden: “Is that a joke? Oh, thank you.”

And alas, and as expected, President-elect Donald Trump and the Republicans are taking credit for the deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a stalwart Trump ally, is delaying Knesset approval of the agreement, no doubt to ensure that the hostages are released when Trump resumes the presidency. The headline of this The Times of Israel report entitled Israel holds off on approving hostage deal, accusing Hamas of reneging on details, says it all. From the report:

Nevertheless, most Israeli officials indicated the agreement was all but a done deal, with the focus moving to the internal political battle playing out ahead of the expected cabinet and security cabinet votes, which were delayed by at least several hours.

The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement Thursday morning accusing Hamas of backing out of some agreements and creating a “crisis” in finalizing the deal.

“Hamas is reneging on the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that is preventing an agreement,” the PMO said in a statement issued in both English and Hebrew. “The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”

Netanyahu has been criticized by many Israelis from day one for ignoring warnings of the Hamas raid and reducing the security on the border to protect illegal settlements in the West Bank, which led to the bloodiest day in Israel in terms of deaths of its Jewish citizens. Furthermore, he is accused of deliberately prolonging the war to avoid an election, which if he loses, would lead to Netanyahu being jailed for his flagrant corruption. As long as he is the prime minister, he has the legal protection of his office and cannot be jailed.

‘Netanyahu has been criticized by many Israelis from day one for ignoring warnings of the Hamas raid and reducing the security on the border to protect illegal settlements in the West Bank, which led to the bloodiest day in Israel in terms of deaths of its Jewish citizens.’

Over the last 15 months, the families of the hostages have held demonstrations and crashed cabinet meetings, pleading for a cease-fire and the return of the hostages as soon as possible. This has been supplemented by well-attended demonstrations and rallies calling for a cease-fire and the hostages to be released. Without question, this war will have long-term ripple effects on Israeli society. Will this lead to an end of Netanyahu’s political career and the dominance of the right-wing parties in the Knesset, and a willingness of the Israeli government to agree to and implement a two-state solution to end the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians?

And, just as important, how will war-torn Gaza be reconstructed and can the Hamas dictatorship, which has acted against the best interests of the residents of the territory, be overthrown and allow for a stable democratically elected government to replace it?

The people of Israel and Gaza have to find a way to live together in peace, harmony, and security. Memories of wounds old and recent are deep and will take time to heal before those impacted can sit down together at a diner table, but that has to be the ultimate goal. The reconciliation process will be difficult and individuals such as American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who worked tirelessly to end the conflict and release the hostages, can be of great service.

The Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland were able to come together and achieve a “peace dividend” that continues to this day. The people of Northern Ireland experienced terrorism, death, and discrimination similar to the situation in Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza.

Grievances and tragedy must be set aside, as hard as that can be, and a modus vivendi cobbled together. I am confident that people of goodwill from across the globe can pitch in. Let’s hope this process starts soon for the sake of all impacted.


Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.

Feature image: براء حبوش on Unsplash

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Irwin RapoportIrwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Concordia University.



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