If it gives up all the hostages, Hamas will be left with no means of holding off the Israelis. It will be finished. By keeping hold of its captives, Hamas doesn’t just have the upper hand; it holds all the cards because it knows Israel feels under a sacred duty to retrieve them. While Hamas keeps them under its brutal imprisonment, it will continue to spin out negotiations over releasing them to paralyse Israel’s military options.
The released hostages say that a deal is the only way to bring the rest of them back. The terrible truth is that no deal will bring them all back. Only Israel’s total capitulation will do that.
Image: Amit Elkayam for the New York Times