Will a release of the hostages require abandoning the war?

We have found ourselves utterly helpless over the last nearly-four months, as the daily stream of Israeli news programs, featuring frustrated family members appearing on air, crying, shouting and advocating for an immediate return of their loved ones who are being held hostage and suffering the most cruel and inhumane indignities known to man. 

We’ve heard that both men and are being violated every day, all day, without the ability to refuse. In almost each of these complaints, made by families, the blame has been roundly cast upon those who are managing the war and fighting the battle.

As fellow Israelis, our hearts break for these families who have also become tormented victims of Hamas’ cruelty and savagery, as they can only imagine the worst that is happening to their loved ones. But the upsetting truth is that there are just some things that are not in our control or ability to change. The whereabouts and condition of these hostages are two of those things. 

Nevertheless, no one wants the return of these precious 136 souls back home more than our soldiers, commanders and generals, all of whom are putting their lives on the line, knowing that at any moment, they, too, could be casualties of a vicious war which seeks to destroy the Jewish homeland.

In the midst of this impossible situation, a deal is in the works to release the hostages in phases (no exact details on what that means) at the cost of “a guaranteed end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and withdrawal of all invasion forces,” per the conditions being dictated by Hamas. In addition, “Hamas had previously said a full release would require that Israel free all of the thousands of Palestinians held on security grounds in its prisons.”

It remains unknown how many of our hostages are still alive, but for a return of the already dead and those who remain alive, Israel would have to abandon its fight and return all Palestinian prisoners, if that is the only way Hamas would agree to such a deal. But how would that sit with the families who have already lost soldiers engaged in this fight, believing that their efforts would not be in vain and that the war would be fought to the bitter end?

There are so many human facets to this conflict, and each one is gut-wrenching, because no one can put themselves in the shoes of family members who are left to imagine the worst as their loved ones live out a hellish nightmare. Unquestionably, any of us would be willing to give up all in order to bring them home immediately. But the other side of that picture are the wives, parents, siblings, children and friends who have paid the ultimate price by losing someone defending the homeland. For them, finishing this fight somehow helps to justify the sacrifice they made.

So how can both groups of family members be satisfied? Pesach Wolicki, Director of Israel365action.com addresses this very conundrum in his article, “Would we rather lose our children or our country?” stating “Even though there is no more noble and necessary act that takes precedence over the redemption of captives, we are prohibited from redeeming them if it means that danger to the Jewish community will be exacerbated as a result.” He comes to this position by citing Jewish law which states, “the freeing of captives is the greatest act one can perform, the mitzvah that takes priority over all others. And yet, Jewish law also prohibits the redemption of captives for ‘more than their value.’”

The question of human value seems to be predicated on the greater numbers rather than the individual, because, although no one can place a particular value on the life of one human, or, in this case, 136 hostages, the lives of nearly 10 million, who reside in Israel, is the larger consideration overall.

In addition to the two sets of family groups, who are most involved in this war, the top concern is how an abrupt stop to the fighting would impact the nation. Would we be able to defend ourselves when necessary? Would we then be seen as having reneged on our pledge to cease engaging in the conflict? Why not?

If S. Africa was able to claim that our defense was tantamount to genocide, why wouldn’t renewed fighting, on the heels of another attack, be viewed as violating the deal? None of this is simple or straightforward, because even though a Hamas or Hezbollah pre-emptive attack would constitute their breach of the agreement, let us not forget that the world seems to believe that this war began on October 8th, conveniently forgetting that Israel did not start it. Yet, we are expected to end it. 

Further complicating matters, in all of this, is the reaction of government coalition members who say they are unable to support such a brokered deal, as reported in the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon, quoting Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who stated, “We will not be able to agree to a lengthy pause in the war.” 

Their position is not different from the general Israeli public which, according to a very recent survey conducted by The Israel Democracy Institute revealed that “most Israelis oppose a hostage deal in exchange for a halt in fighting and releasing all Palestinian prisoners.”

The same survey shows that a majority of Israelis support a national unity coalition which effectively happened when former Minister of Defense and centrist Benny Gantz joined in, assuring a diversity of opinion. So, given the two sides, each having legitimate reasons to either end the war or continue the war, what is the right course for Israel to take?

This will have to be decided upon by our government leaders, who know that they will anger one side while hoping that their decision turns out to be in the best interest of those who call Israel home. In the meantime, no deal should be an all-or-nothing agreement, because when negotiating with unprincipled terrorists, who are devoid of all morals, there must be a great deal of skepticism, from the outset, with the understanding that they are not coming from a place of trustworthiness or goodwill. 

Consequently, any agreement must have an exit strategy, in tow, for the likely probability that the enemy will violate the terms that were set. In such a case, all bets are off, and Israel’s defense of her people, against a brutal foe, must be the top priority, no matter what.

Pleasing everyone is not possible, but whatever choice is made, Israel will have to live with the consequences. They just can’t be at the expense of jeopardizing our homeland!