This Sunday, Hamas released 17 hostages including one 4 year old Israeli-American girl named Avigail Idan. Idan was taken captive by Hamas soldiers after witnessing both her parents be killed in front of her at the Kfar Aza kibbutz. President Biden commented on the situation saying: "Today she's free, and Jilly [first lady of the US Jill Biden] and I, together with so many Americans, are praying for the fact that she is going to be alright."
Source: BBC
This release took place during the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the longest break in fighting since the attacks occurred on Oct 7th. This 4 day break was the result of a deal brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas shall release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners. All released are women and children. Hamas said it would seek to extend the ceasefire after the four days were up. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel has issued a video statement addressing the possibility of freeing an additional 10 hostages for each additional day of truce. As of the posting of this post no agreement for the extended ceasefire has been released.
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One detail that I found intriguing about the hostage deal is that it was mediated by the government of Qatar. I thought this was interesting because, in 2009, Qatar and Israel broke diplomatic ties, whereas Qatar has provided significant funding to Hamas. Therefore, because Qatar is unfriendly to Israel, it would seem strange for them to negotiate a deal to release Israeli hostages. However, after further research, I learned that Hamas doesn't trust other Middle Eastern nations to mediate the negotiations because of their friendliness to Israel. Therefore, influenced by the US, Qatar has been pushed into being the mediator in this conflict.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/21/politics/negotiations-israel-hamas-hostages/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-israel-hamas-war-hostage-qatar-0126c6443a9b3b32fe97032b81eaa515
https://news.sky.com/story/why-is-qatar-involved-in-negotiations-between-israel-and-hamas-13014817
While its great that hostages (mostly women and children) are being returned, it seems like a very small step when at some reports have child death tolls at around 6,000 for Palestinians alone. It feels childish and unacceptable for so many people to still be losing their lives over a conflict that began in 1947. Its stuff like this that makes me feel like humans are doomed. But hey, at least this is progress. It will be interesting to see how Qatar mitigates this dispute as Kostas mentioned.
sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/25/israeli-hostage-deal-on-course-after-hamas-delay-prompts-crisis#:~:text=The%20truce%20agreement%20specifies%20that,killed%201%2C200%20people%2C%20mostly%20civilians.
https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/acaps-thematic-report-israelpalestine-current-situation-and-anticipated-impacts-crisis-west-bank-24-november-2023#:~:text=Israel%20responded%20with%20a%20bombardment,22%2F11%2F2023).
As Owen mentioned, this is still only a very small step towards the desirable peaceful future. But, I think that this is also a very necessary small step. This ceasefire and exchange of hostages can lead to more growth and development regarding the steer away from the violent warfare. Today more hostages were freed from each side as 11 freed hostages are back in Israel while Israel also freed 33 Palestinians. In total this leads to 69 hostages freed from Hamas and 150 Palestines freed from Israel. I'm glad that the situation is starting to become much more diplomatic and civilized. Hopefully the two sides are able to negotiate further peace talks and create permanent solutions.
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-11-27-23/index.html
I share the same hope as Aidan does with Palestine and Israel in forming a more peaceful relationship. But I am doubtful that such peace between the nations will ever occur. The history between these two nations is dense with violence and hatred, and these types of feelings and emotions are not going to fade away any time soon. To many of the Palestinians, Israelis took their home, and to many of the Israelis, Palestinians are threatening to take away their home. It's such a conflicting situation. Many of the Israelis today were born during Israel's nationhood and took no part in the removal of Palestinians in the 20th century. But it is also crucial to sympathize with Palestinian citizens and their desire to reclaim their ethnic land. As it stands, realistic solutions remain nebulous. That being said, though, the fact that the Biden Administration has sent billions upon billions of dollars in support of Israel--who has faced far less death and casualties than Palestine--while sending much less to Palestine is concerning. How can we expect diplomatic solutions and peace talks when our own nation is disproportionately supporting one nation over the other? How I see it, the entire world should treat the nations with equal regards and TRULY fight for peace. After all, does giving much more money to one nation seem like you truly want peace? I don't know.
I agree with Owen. Although I am glad hostages are being released, this is such a small step towards peace between Israel and Palestine. If we compare the 150 Palestinean and 50 Israeli hostage releases to the 10,000 Palestineans and 1,400 Israelis who have died in this war, the hostage releases feel like nothing. Out of the 10,000 lives taken in Palestine, half of them were CHILDREN (under the age of 18). Kids who had a lifetime to live. As Zen mentioned earlier, there most likely won't be peace between these nations which can be seen through their 17+ years of conflict. I am curious to see how long this ceasefire between these two nations will last because it could potentially lead to a step in the right direction for peace between the two nations. I hope that the citizens in both Israel and Palestine are able to stay safe. We have also seen many countries aid one nation, but what will it take for countries to step in and attempt to create peace between the two?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/07/middleeast/palestinian-israeli-deaths-gaza-dg/index.html
I agree with Aidan that the hostage exchange is a small step towards the possibility of a peaceful relationship between the two nations. While it is an optimistic step, I still hold a somewhat negative perspective on the matter. This conflict has been going on for more than 80 years since the original removal of the Palestinian people in 1948 and the gradual extension of Israeli land into Palestinian territory until all that is left are just Gaza and the West Bank. In my opinion, Israel has historically and in the present, been committing atrocities against the Palestinian people resulting in only more hate being spread and thus more conflict. They recently bombed a hospital with white phosphorous, an illegal chemical that was banned due to its brutality in battle, and also consistently use collective punishment as a means of trying to get rid of Hamas. Their use of extreme violence, oversight over water and food that goes into Gaza, and its tight grip on Palestinian regions breeds organizations like Hamas that retaliate in extreme violence. No matter Israel's efforts, it seems that they can never actually target Hamas and just end up killing more Palestinian people, in which about half the population is under 18. I believe for proper peace to be attained, Israel has to atone for its past mistakes in order for peace to be achieved. While I sympathize for both sides that have lost lives during this conflict, the Israeli government and its history is at fault for the consequences of its actions.
I think this is a very sticky situation. Israel is unwilling to provide aid to innocent Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas states in their charter that it is their mission to kill all the Jews in Israel. While civilians on both sides are innocent and don't deserve to die, it is up to the governments to stop the war. Israel won't stop until Hamas is gone and Hamas won't stop until Israel is gone. I don't believe there will be a two state solution at the end of this war. Hamas is a terrorist organization and needs to be taken out and Israel needs to be held accountable for their actions in Gaza. This prisoner exchange is a small step towards "peace" but ultimately this war will not end well for either side.
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-12-16-23/index.html
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/12/08/americans-views-of-the-israel-hamas-war/
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