Étienne Dignat holds a PhD in political science from Sciences Po Paris and teaches in the ethics of war. He published The Ransom of Terror. Gouverner le marché des otages (Presses Universitaires de France, 2023).
LE FIGARO. - Hamas kidnapped nearly 150 people in its attack on Israel. Are there precedents for such massive hostage-takings?
Étienne DIGNAT. - There is no precedent from the point of view of kidnappings: the Israelis used to having a maximum of two or three people abducted. Only barricaded hostage-taking or hijacking of planes could lead to comparable casualty figures, such as the hostage-taking of the Ma'alot school in 1974 and the hijacking of an Air-France plane in 1976, which had landed in Uganda. In the latter case, more than <> Israeli citizens were rescued by a special commando led by Yonatan Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu's brother. He had died during the assault.
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