After 15 months of war, Hamas and Israel have reached a deal regarding Israeli citizens held captive in Gaza and a suspension of hostilities. Under the terms of the accepted ceasefire and prisoner exchange, Hamas released three Israeli captives from Gaza on Sunday afternoon, in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners being released from Israeli jails.
The First Day: Hamas’ Cruel Tactics
The implementation of the ceasefire on Sunday was not without difficulties, as Hamas deliberately slowed down the process with fake excuses. Instead of announcing the names of the three captives to be released on Saturday evening as initially planned, Hamas delayed the process until Sunday morning, citing ‘technical reasons.’ In response, Israel continued targeting terrorist sites in Gaza until the last possible moment. The release of the first three hostages was also delayed by nearly two hours beyond the scheduled time.
Hamas clearly used the hostage release as a shameless PR opportunity. The terrorist organization gathered a massive crowd in Gaza City’s central square, where uniformed Hamas militants—who apparently prefer military attire for parades but blend into civilian clothes during combat—staged a victory parade before handing over the three young women to the International Red Cross. The cheering crowd proved difficult for even Hamas to control, further delaying the departure of the vehicles carrying the captives from the crowded square. The terrorists even released ‘certificates’ of the captivity that hostages were forced to pose with for photos.
Hamas forced the hostages to pose with “certificates of completion” as if captivity were summer camp.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 19, 2025
We are dealing with psychopaths. pic.twitter.com/QAX4I62MwZ
Israeli authorities confirmed at near 6 p.m. that the three hostages had been received and were being transported for preliminary medical examinations. Family members of the hostages followed the events live. After more than 470 days of captivity, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher were finally able to embrace their loved ones again that evening.
What’s Next?
According to the terms of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, the next four hostages are expected to be released in a week, with further releases to follow weekly. In the ending weekend of the first phase, an additional 14 hostages will be freed.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces are gradually withdrawing from northern Gaza, except for maintaining a buffer zone near the border. Humanitarian aid deliveries to the region are also expected to increase significantly.
In the second phase of the agreement, Israel would fully withdraw from Gaza, and the ceasefire would become permanent. During this phase, the remaining hostages would also be freed. In the third phase, plans to rebuild Gaza will be laid down. But the details of these phases are yet to be negotiated.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas captured a total of 251 individuals during a devastating terror attack on southern Israeli towns. At least 1,200 people lost their lives in the attack. During a brief ceasefire in November 2023, 105 Israeli civilians were freed.
Netanyahu’s Governing Coalition at Risk Over Ceasefire
The ceasefire agreement has received mixed reactions in Israel. While a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found that a majority of Israelis (57.5 per cent) support a comprehensive deal to free all hostages in exchange for ending the Gaza war, smaller protests have called for the continuation of the war until Hamas is completely dismantled.
Others object that for the total of 33 Israeli captives, nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of murder and terrorism, will be released from custody during the first 42-day phase of the ceasefire.
Among those opposing the agreement is Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the religious-nationalist Otzma Yehudit, who withdrew his party from Netanyahu’s coalition following the ceasefire’s implementation. As a result, Netanyahu’s government has been reduced to a slim majority of 62 seats in the 120-member Knesset, leaving it still functional but weakened.
The Trump Factor
Trump had repeatedly warned that ‘all hell will break loose’ if Hamas failed to release the hostages before his swearing-in.
After more than a year of failed negotiations, a breakthrough was finally achieved regarding the ceasefire and hostage releases. But what brought about the change? As we already noted, US President-elect Donald Trump employed his familiar ‘peace through strength’ approach to exert pressure on Hamas. He was assisted by special envoy Steve Witkoff, who participated in negotiations in Doha in recent weeks and conveyed the new administration’s stance on the conflict.
Witkoff not only applied intense pressure on Hamas but also prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept compromises necessary to finalize the hostage agreement before Trump’s inauguration today, 20 January.
