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Home » The hostages’ return – and some predictions

The hostages’ return – and some predictions

The New Neo Posted on by

Hamas has stalled on today’s hostage return – of course – accusing Israel of blah blah blah.But this very recent news is that the return is going ahead. Hamas doesn’t miss an opportunity to wring the last drop of psychological suffering from the entire episode.

As far as yesterday’s exchange goes – this is very strange, IMHO: Hamas has released the following footage of the hostage transfer. What is their goal? Perhaps there’s something for everyone, depending on the point of view of the beholder. Hamas sympathizers can see the guys with the green headbands as oh-so-solicitous and kind, which of course is absurd under the circumstances. Gazans can glory in the frightened looks on the faces of the frail-looking elderly women, and feel all puffed-up with power over Israelis.

And the rest of us can watch in sympathy/empathy with the hostages, looking at their stressed expressions and seeing the usual sea of young Gazan men watching, in this case holding up their cell phones to record the momentous transfer.

And now for some happier family reunion photos.

No men were returned, though.

Quite a few MSM outlets also highlighted the celebratory return of Gazan terrorists, as though there is some sort of moral equivalence. But since a lot of people seem to have lost the ability to tell the difference between hostages taken violently from their homes and criminal terrorist perpetrators released from prison, I guess such videos work to engender more sympathy for Hamas and for terrorists. Like this little darling:

I haven’t seen any interviews with returned hostages; it’s way too soon. But I make some predictions:

(1) Hamas will draw out the return of the men and the Americans as long as possible. The latter are especially precious to Hamas because the Biden administration will continue to pressure Israel for a ceasefire and a deal until they are released, and even after.

(2) Note that none of the young women raped at the rave have been returned. I wonder whether they are alive. Once they could come back to testify about having been raped, there is reason to suspect they were killed to silence them.

(3) Hostages may keep mostly quiet in public, in order to facilitate the return of the others.

(4) Many of these people have been leftist peaceniks, and they may continue to talk about peace and two-state solutions.

(5) Probably Hamas is releasing the people first who were treated the best, so they will report about decent treatment.

(6) As time goes on, Hamas will want more and more vicious terrorists in exchange. And it will play more games with time and with demands.

(7) But as time goes on, Israeli intelligence may also uncover more about where hostages are held, and successful rescue operations might become possible. That would be very risky though; a failed one would give Hamas even more fodder for bragging.

Comments

The hostages’ return – and some predictions — 15 Comments

  1. (2): Rapists often kill their victims to prevent their testimony. Also, some of those women were seriously hurt by the rapes. I doubt they would have received appropriate emergency medical care.

  2. Yes, my daughter and I noticed right away that the women returned were either elderly, or women who had been kidnapped along with their children. No young women, and no Americans, or American/Israeli dual citizens.
    I do hope that Israeli intelligence gets a solid from debriefing the freed hostages, both those released now, and expected in the next installment.

    We noticed the story of the freed Pally terrorist, who had been mangled facially by her own bomb – and demanding plastic surgery from the Israelis. Talk about the new definition of chutzpah …

  3. Agreeing to a ceasefire – it is not a ‘pause’ – is capitulation by Israel, and the broader West, to Hamas. The terrorists are rewarded for their aggression and barbarity. I can see no way out for Israel other than by prosecuting and sentencing all the guilty prisoners they currently hold. Any other approach will just lead to future Hamas attacks and hostage taking.

  4. @ steve > “I can see no way out for Israel other than by prosecuting and sentencing all the guilty prisoners they currently hold”

    Harsh as it sounds, once a valid trial has established their guilt, the murderers and rapists should be immediately executed, forestalling any subsequent demands for their release in later hostage scenarios.
    The resulting condemnations of Israel won’t be any harsher than we’ve already seen.

    That should have been the sentence for many of the worst prisoners freed in the earlier deals, especially Sinwar.

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2023/11/the-hostage-deal-was-not-inevitable-it-was-a-choice-a-bad-choice
    (h/’t Miguel cervantes yesterday)

    The list of terrorists exchanged for Gilad Shalit and their crimes; none of them should have been alive to use for ransom.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilad_Shalit_prisoner_exchange

  5. Should be and probably are two different things.

    In Israel the judges want to run the country and IIRC they don’t approve of capital punishment.

  8. Agree AesopFan. There is no pleasure in doing so, it is the only possible solution to stop the terror and barbarism.

  10. An exemplary and lucid article that says it all:
    “The West Is Helping Hamas Blackmail Israel;
    “The United States and EU have left the Middle East’s only democracy isolated.”—
    https://europeanconservative.com/articles/democracy-watch/democracy-watch-the-west-is-helping-hamas-blackmail-israel/
    H/T Blazingcatfur blog.

    + “Bonus”…
    “Hamas accused of violating truce by separating mother, child;
    “Twelve-year-old Hila Rotem Shoshani’s mother, Raya, was not among the 13 Israeli hostages released on Saturday.”—
    https://www.jns.org/hamas-accused-of-violating-ceasefire-deal-by-separating-mother-child/

    To be fair, it’s simply what they do…those darlings of the wokerati and their enablers.

  12. Thanks for the link….
    (It should be expected that the Masters of Projection will scream “GENOCIDE”….)

    “The sole avenue of coexistence that became a Hamas killing field;
    “Gaza workers used to pass through Erez. So did medical patients, diplomats, UN personnel. Then terrorists struck.”—
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-sole-avenue-of-coexistence-that-became-a-hamas-killing-field/
    H/T Powerline blog.
    – – – – – – – – – –
    Meanwhile it looks like Christie’s gone off the deep end. Again…
    “Christie blames Trump for nationwide spike in Islamophobia, antisemitism”—
    https://nypost.com/2023/11/26/news/christie-faults-trump-for-spike-in-islamophobia-and-antisemitism/

    What is this man’s problem? (Surely, extreme aggravated TDS can’t explain all of it…)

  13. hyperglycemia, also a jackass who supported the ground zero mosque, and the appointment of a hamas atty to the superior court,

    they were able to trade one orphan boy, for how many ring wraiths,

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