When Hamas-led Palestinian fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and took about 250 folks captive, it set in movement a problem that immediately turned very important to a lot of Israeli society.
The captives instantly turned a logo for Israelis, used to justify Israel’s brutal warfare on Gaza – which has now killed greater than 46,800 Palestinians. However the subject has additionally divided Israelis, with many, significantly these supportive of the opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisting that the federal government has not finished sufficient to safe a deal that may result in their launch.
Now {that a} ceasefire deal has been agreed upon, the nightmare of captivity may very well be about to finish for these held in Gaza.
What number of captives shall be launched from Gaza?
Roughly 100 Israeli captives are believed to be left in Gaza, all of whom are anticipated to be launched if the deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas is absolutely applied.
However not all shall be launched without delay. Within the first six-week part of the deal, 33 captives are anticipated to be launched step by step in change for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli captives to be launched on this part embody some who’re in poor health or wounded, in addition to feminine troopers and males aged above 50.
Egypt has stated these launched within the first part shall be exchanged for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has stated it is going to launch 95 Palestinians, all ladies and youngsters, on the primary day of the ceasefire on Sunday.
The remainder of the captives, all believed to be male troopers, shall be launched in later phases of the ceasefire deal in change for an unspecified variety of Palestinian prisoners.
What do we all know in regards to the identities of the captives being launched?
No official checklist of the Israeli captives being launched within the first part has been revealed but, and whereas the identities of the captives nonetheless in Gaza are identified, it’s unclear who remains to be alive.
On Saturday, Netanyahu stated the ceasefire wouldn’t start till Israel acquired the checklist of the captives who could be launched.
Hamas has stated a number of captives have been killed in Israeli assaults on the areas the place they’d been held, however movies have additionally been launched with messages from a few of them.
Whereas the entire remaining captives are Israeli, some are dual-nationals, together with from the USA, Argentina, and Germany.
5 of the captives are believed to be feminine troopers who have been captured in the course of the October 7 raids.
And two of the captives who’re anticipated to be launched within the first part are Israelis who have been taken captive in Gaza earlier than October 7, and who’ve spent years within the enclave.
What’s going to the handover course of be like?
Whereas some captives have been freed by Israeli forces in navy operations that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, greater than 100 – the overwhelming majority of those that have left Gaza – have been launched in a brief ceasefire in November 2023.
Throughout that prisoner change, the captives launched have been transferred by Palestinian fighters to the Pink Cross after which handed over to Israeli forces.
Israel has ready medical groups to obtain the captives, and the top of the well being workforce on the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board, Hagai Levine, expects that many could have cardiovascular and respiratory points after having spent so lengthy underground in tunnels.
How essential has their captivity been in Israel?
The subject of the captives has been a central one in Israel and amongst pro-Israel supporters for the reason that warfare started.
The discharge of the captives has been one of many main warfare objectives of Israel, but it surely additionally arguably contradicts one of many different said objectives, the entire defeat of Hamas.
It’s because Hamas has provided to launch the captives for the reason that warfare started as a part of a deal that may finish the warfare, a requirement that the Israeli prime minister had persistently refused till just lately.
Israel’s far-right Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has declared that he has been ready to make use of his political energy to cease any deal from going down over the previous 12 months, in essence putting the aim of defeating Hamas and constructing unlawful Israeli settlements in Gaza above the discharge of the captives in a prisoner change. Ben-Gvir is now anticipated to observe via on his promise to resign if the deal is applied.
Nonetheless, the return of the captives is the first demand for a lot of Israelis. Their footage are displayed on posters throughout Israel, and the “convey them house now” demand is usually heard at protests. A plaza in Tel Aviv has been renamed “Hostages Sq.”, and is a focus for demonstrations.
Members of the family of captives have had frequent run-ins with members of Israel’s authorities, and a motion representing them has promised to proceed to push for the discharge of the captives. “We won’t enable them [far-right ministers] to sabotage the complete implementation of the deal,” a speaker at an occasion supporting the ceasefire deal stated on Saturday.
