Negotiating with Hamas comes at a high cost: agony for Israeli hostages and their families as they rely on a fragile deal

13 February 2025, 13:38 | Updated: 14 February 2025, 15:24

It's hard to predict the future of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, but we can be certain that the anguish experienced by Israeli hostage families and the nation as a whole will sadly continue

Families of Israeli hostages were terrified of the possible consequences of a failure to resume the hostage deal, as Hamas announced it would not release the three hostages scheduled to be returned this coming Saturday, ostensibly given ceasefire violations include allowing insufficient aid into the Gaza Strip only to row back on their pledge within the following days.

Why was Hamas considering postponing the release of the hostages, then? The barriers, as I see them, are an obvious result of negotiating with a terrorist organisation which openly professes its commitment to the “resistance against the occupation” and demonstrates a violently anti-Zionist ideology. This was most recently demonstrated by their prominent use of signs proclaiming that “Zionism will not win” during recent hostage releases.

Hamas's claims are problematic on two counts. Firstly, since this war’s outbreak, Israel facilitated the daily passage of aid into the Gaza Strip along with not insignificant medical assistance. Despite numerous operational difficulties including aid being looted within the coastal enclave, Israel has continued these efforts.

Secondarily, it is now clear just how badly they have mistreated the hostages they seized and held since 7th October 2023 given their starvation and lack of medical treatment.

Earlier today, the IDF confirmed that Shlomo Mantzur (86) who was due to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire had in fact been murdered by Hamas on 7th October 2023. His body has been held in Gaza since with his family living in hope that we would return home soon, even appealing to the public to celebrate his birthday by enjoying his favourite flavour of ice cream (pistachio).

Elma Avraham, who was 84 at the time of her abduction and released in November 2023’s ceasefire, is now wheelchair-bound and requires round-the-clock carer support. According to medics treating released hostages, there is a clear and present danger to all of the hostages’ lives.

Alon Ohel, who was abducted from the Nova festival, turned 24 in captivity yesterday. According to the testimonies of other released hostages, he was injured, is being denied medical treatment, and forced to remain in chains.

His mother, Idit’s agony, is an indication of what is yet to come: ”It was not easy to hear, I even fainted, which is acceptable for a mother that has not seen her son in so many days. I don't think there's a mother in this world that would even be able to sleep if they knew their son has not been fed or been able to move for so many days”.

What happens next is uncertain, especially as the live hostages were Hamas’s strongest and most useful negotiating chips. The status of younger male hostages whom Hamas are treating as soldiers given their presumed reserve liability is unconfirmed too.

It’s hard to predict how the situation will develop, but we can be certain that the anguish experienced by Israeli hostage families and the nation as a whole will sadly continue for the foreseeable future.

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Dr Amira Halperin is a Senior Research Associate at Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) and media expert at Forum Dvorah, an Israeli network of leading women in national security and foreign policy.

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