With the release of hostages in dribs and drabs, Hamas continues its psychological war against Israel

2023-11-27 06:31:13
Relatives of Omer Neutra, hostage of Hamas, during a rally to demand the release of people held since October 7, in the “hostages square”, in Tel Aviv, November 25, 2023. LUCIEN LUNG / RIVA PRESS FOR “THE WORLD”

For three days, in Israel, the same question has been asked, each time the names of the hostages released by Hamas are made public: “Are the redheaded children there?” » But each time, so far, the response has been negative. No, the “redhead children” were still not on the lists on Sunday, November 26, when the Israeli authorities announced the return of the third group of released people.

Read also: Live, Israel-Hamas war: 14 Israeli hostages and 3 Thais were released on this third day of truce

Fourteen Israelis (including nine children and three dual nationals), as well as three Thais were exchanged for 39 Palestinian prisoners, as part of the agreement concluded between the Islamist organization and Israel. Hamas, which is conducting parallel negotiations, let a 26-year-old Russian-Israeli leave to thank Vladimir Putin for his support for the Palestinian cause.

These little ones with flamboyant hair are called Ariel, 9 months old, and Kfir, 4 years old. They were kidnapped on October 7, with their mother, Shiri Bibas, from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their father, Yarden, is also held in Gaza and two of their grandparents have been murdered. Since then, the photo of Shiri holding her sons against her, wrapped in a light blanket, the hand of a Hamas man placed on her shoulder, has transformed into an icon: the perfect symbol of threatened innocence, but also of maternal love and fear.

Also read the editorial: Free all the hostages in Gaza

Bargaining

So much so that today, some in Israel are asking the question: has this symbol turned against the “redhead children” and their mother? Hasn’t he made them valuable pieces in Hamas’s game? Because the negotiations surrounding the release of the hostages, since Friday November 24, clearly show that it is also a psychological war on the part of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in Gaza. A terrible bargain in which, the Israelis are convinced, the Islamist organization exploits their anxiety to the maximum, carefully choosing the people from whom it will separate.

Some cards are perhaps worth more than others, in this face-to-face which makes Hamas the master of the situation and Israel, a humiliated nation. Is an elderly woman (there were six in the first group on November 24) as valuable as a child? A dual national carries more weight than an individual with only an Israeli passport, in a country where a significant proportion of the population has two nationalities?

No one can answer these questions, but one thing is certain: the various governments concerned are sparing no effort to obtain restitution for their citizens. The families of dual nationals have often said it after October 7: they place great hopes in the leaders of third countries whose passports they hold. So far, it is Germany which has won the day, so to speak, with eight people released. To date, none of the eight French people presumed captive in Gaza have yet left the enclave.

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