The truth is that this discussion should not have been public at all. When Sinwar ordered his murderous proxies on the morning of October 7 to kidnap Israelis, he planned to achieve exactly what has been beginning in recent days, and that is a trickle of news designed to play with our emotions and blackmail us until we surrender to his conditions.
Unfortunately, however, the discussion is taking place, and what emerges from it are very problematic terms of the deal for Israel. According to reports, Israel will agree to a three- to five-day ceasefire in exchange for fifty women and children held by the murderers. The release of terrorists from prison may also be part of the agreement, brokered by Qatar.
Despite the great desire to see our people return home, it seems that the outline described involves risks and serious problems, as well as great doubt whether it will yield the promised return at all.
IDF Spokesperson
First, even if Hamas keeps its word, which is not at all certain, five days of ceasefire is a long time. The chief of staff says he can handle the risk, but with all due respect, neither he nor anyone else knows what Sinwar has up his sleeve. After all, we have already understood that we do not understand the enemy. And we have already learned, at the harshest prices, that all the containment talk of our commanders is detached from reality. Therefore, with all due respect to the chief of staff, and there is one, it is impossible to dismiss so easily five days, the price of which he cannot estimate either.
The deal is based on the assumption that Sinwar still has command and control capabilities over his men, who under his instructions will release the hostages. If this chain of command still exists, it means that in five full days of ceasefire, he and his murderers will be able to breathe air, literally, rearrange the forces and the hierarchy of command, and prepare a strategic surprise for the IDF.
Instead of groveling to the Al Thani family, Israel should condemn it, shut down Al Jazeera, and make it clear that we demand the return of our people, here and now. Qatar has leverage over Hamas and Israel has leverage over Qatar. It's time to activate them and clearly sketch the picture of victory: Sinwar emerges submissively from the bunker with our men around him as human shields.
In other words, such a prolonged ceasefire could significantly change the face of the campaign to our detriment. Moreover, the possibility that Hezbollah and/or Iran will decide to take advantage of the truce to join the campaign should not be taken off the agenda. What is also clear is that Hamas will exploit it for worldwide propaganda showing the destruction in Gaza and to pressure Israel not to renew the fighting.
Beyond all this, there is every reason to predict that the monster named Yahya Sinwar will deceive us. After all, during Operation Protective Edge, and also over the years, Hamas violated the ceasefires many times. And so this time, instead of ten abductees a day, he will release eight or five. And instead of a ceasefire, we will get encounters that he will excuse as "rogue" and, of course, accuse us of toppling Hamas' control capabilities in the Gaza Strip. Surely random mortar fire will continue. And what do we do then, when the agreement is violated? Shall we give up the others slated for release? Shall we go back to fighting with our wives and natives right across the door?
The answer is no. We will not stand for it. Once we get on track with the deal, no one will block it, even if the implementation is partial. So we will sentence ourselves to five days of ceasefire for 50 people. In return, we will get 40 or less, soldiers wounded by gunfire who are forbidden to respond and Hamas that is back on its feet. This is the wrong route.
What surprises does it prepare for us? Sinwar, photo: AFP
Therefore, instead of getting on the chorales that Hamas planned for us, we should continue on the same path as we have been going for 45 days. In other words, continued pressure on Hamas, which is already bringing results. After all, its opening conditions were much higher. Sinwar gave up on releasing all the prisoners, as his people initially declared, only because of the Israeli crushing. And he will continue to give up if we continue to crush.
And not only him, but also Qatar. Instead of groveling to the Al Thani family, Israel should condemn it, shut down Al Jazeera, and make it clear that we demand the return of our people, here and now. Qatar has leverage over Hamas and Israel has leverage over Qatar. It's time to activate them and clearly sketch the picture of victory: Sinwar emerges submissively from the bunker with our men around him as human shields.
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