The ground offensive in Gaza is at a turning point: continue fighting or negotiate for hostages?

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Desperation gives the families almost inexhaustible strength. Every day, relatives of the 239 Hamas hostages gather in the squares of Israeli cities. They hold up photos of their kidnapped children, women, men, brothers and sisters, parents or grandparents. They light candles and call for marches. They raise their broken voices: “Bring back our loved ones!”, “Save them!” and “Don’t forget us!”.

They left again on Tuesday, the 39th day after the massacre of 1,200 civilians and soldiers, accompanied by hundreds of other Israelis. The route runs from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Their destination: the seat of government in Jerusalem. This time the march is inspired by new hope.

Hostage deal on the verge of a breakthrough

As leaked from the international media, the release of 70 Israeli women and children appears imminent. In return, 120 Palestinian women and minors could be released from Israeli prisons, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an anonymous Israeli source. The group exchange would take place during a five-day ceasefire. So much for the bargaining chips of the warring parties who are in contact with each other through Qatar’s mediation.

If the deal actually goes through, it would mark a turning point in Israeli warfare. The weapons should be silent, if only for a few days. German security expert Frank Umbach (59) doubts in an interview with Blick whether Benjamin Netanyahu (74) agrees to this. He says: “Such a long ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup.” Israel wants to prevent this at all costs.

A ceasefire would weaken military success

According to the scientist from the University of Bonn, the ground offensive went differently than Hamas had expected. “They did not rely on surprising momentum, but after extensive rocket attacks, they surrounded parts of the city, one after another, crossed the tunnel system and fought Hamas on the spot – without suffering major losses themselves. .” The army now controls large parts of northern Gaza. A ceasefire would reverse this success.

However, Frank Umbach does not believe that the war will end quickly: “The military operations in the north will probably last for weeks. After that, the fighting will continue in the southern part, where many Hamas fighters have also withdrawn.” Even the release of a few hostages will not solve the problem. “After that, Hamas would still have more than 170 hostages in its power, of which it is not known is how many of them are still alive,” Umbach continues.

West is also calling for a ceasefire

In any case, the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu is increasing. Not just from the arriving families of the hostages. Many Israelis hold the prime minister and his right-wing populist government coalition partly responsible for the October 7 massacre – and therefore for the hostage taking. The West, especially the US, is also applying pressure and pushing for a ceasefire to bring relief supplies to Gaza and evacuate patients from hospitals.

“For most Israelis, rescuing the hostage comes before any other war goal,” activist and entrepreneur Zev Perlmutter, 47, of Tel Aviv, told Blick, “but they also stand behind their soldiers 100 percent and support the ground offensive.” Whether diplomatically or in battle – the most important thing is that the hostages are successfully released.

Source: Blick