Most of those eligible for release are young people aged 16 to 18 who participated in terrorism.
“Once the ceasefire ends, the war resumes… “Continue until you achieve your goal”
Amid criticism that a temporary ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas could lead to the release of Hamas members, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by saying, “There will be no release of murderers.”
According to the Times of Israel on the 22nd (local time), Prime Minister Netanyahu held a press conference that night and said that the hostage negotiations “did not include the release of murderers.”
In this negotiation, Israel and Hamas agreed to release 150 Palestinians detained in Israel, and the list of preliminary releaseees released by the Israeli Ministry of Justice included those imprisoned for terrorist acts, including Hamas members.
Hamas said the targets of this release were women and children, but the majority were male teenagers aged 16 to 18, and only 33 were women.
Regarding this, Prime Minister Netanyahu explained, “It would be great if the security-related prisoners were not released, but that was not possible,” adding, “I made the decision because there were knives pointed at children and women’s necks.”
He warned of the possibility that released Palestinian prisoners might engage in terrorism again, saying, “If necessary, we will track them down again.”
However, in this negotiation, he again emphasized the legitimacy, saying, “How can we give up the possibility of bringing back dozens of children, mothers, and women?”
It was also said that military and diplomatic pressure led to improved conditions in these negotiations.
Regarding the statement by Hamas top leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal that they would rule the Gaza Strip even after the war, he said, “I instructed Mossad to target and attack the Hamas leadership wherever it is located.”
When asked whether the conditions of the ceasefire also apply to targeting Hamas leaders abroad, he said, “There is no obligation to do so,” and said that attacks can be carried out even during the temporary ceasefire.
While Hezbollah announced that it would participate in the ceasefire, it also drew a line that this agreement did not apply to Hezbollah and the front lines on the Lebanese border.
It did not say how it would respond if Hamas violates the agreement. However, he warned, “Once the ceasefire ends, we will resume the war, and perhaps we may have to resume much earlier.”
He added, “We will prepare to continue the war during the ceasefire period,” adding, “The war continues, and we will continue until all goals are achieved.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “While we are attacking every day, Hamas wanted some time to catch its breath,” explaining that the temporary ceasefire resulted in hostage negotiations.
The Israeli cabinet approved a four-day temporary ceasefire agreement for the release of 50 hostages at a ministerial meeting the previous day.
It went through a public opposition petition process for 24 hours, and petitions were filed by terrorism victim groups, but the Supreme Court dismissed them all, saying, “It is not a matter for the court to decide.”
While Hamas announced that the agreement would go into effect at 10 a.m. on the 23rd (5 p.m. Korean time), Israel’s National Security Council announced that hostage release would not begin until the 24th.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.