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More than 30 hostages are set to be released during the cease-fire in Gaza. But many Israelis have mixed feelings about the deal because they feel it came at a high price.
Jan. 21, 2025, 12:01 a.m. ET
When three Israeli hostages were released from Gaza on Sunday, Meytal Ofer, an Israeli kindergarten teacher, felt two competing emotions.
First and foremost, Ms. Ofer felt joy — three of her compatriots, all women, were being released after more than 470 days of captivity.
Yet somewhere in the back of her mind was also a sense of hurt. To free the women, as well as thirty other hostages expected to be released in the coming six weeks, Israel has promised to release roughly 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom are serving long jail terms for killing Israelis.
One of those prisoners murdered Ms. Ofer’s father in an ax attack 11 years ago.
“I’m overjoyed they’re back,” Ms. Ofer, 48, said of the hostages. But, she added, “There are painful feelings knowing that the person who killed my Dad is going to be free.”
For both Israelis and Palestinians, the sealing of a cease-fire has spurred joy and celebration but it has also come at a price for both peoples.
The arrangement leaves Israel in control of strategic parts of Gaza, preventing many Palestinians from returning to their often ruined homes, at least for now. It has also forced painful concessions from Israel — including the release of convicted terrorists and the possibility that Hamas, the instigator of the raid that started the war, could now remain in power.
English (US)