Why Israel agreed to the hostage deal, and how Hamas may intend to exploit it

At the very start of Israel’s war against Hamas, an Israeli official told reporters that the IDF would strike Hamas everywhere in Gaza, even at the cost of possibly harming some of the 240 hostages being held there. If the IDF had information on a specific location where hostages were believed to be held, it would not target that location. But otherwise, its operations would not be limited by fears of inadvertently harming the hostages.

As the ground operation continued, however, some war cabinet members made clear that the entire approach to the fate of the hostages had gradually changed. This culminated on Saturday night with war cabinet observer Gadi Eisenkot privately telling families of the hostages that the release of their loved ones was the first priority of the war, even ahead of destroying Hamas, and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz stating at a press conference that Israel potentially has “decades” in which to destroy Hamas while the imperative to secure the release of the hostages was urgent. READ MORE