Prospect of Israeli hostage deal recedes as far-right minister signals opposition | Israel-Gaza war

The prospect of a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas appears to be rapidly diminishing after far-right Israeli cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich – who Benjamin Netanyahu is now dependent following the resignations of more moderate ministers at the weekend – said he would oppose a deal.

Smotrich’s comments during a Knesset committee meeting came amid the resignation of former army chief of staff Benny Gantz from the military cabinet. Gantz left the same weekend as Israel rescued four Israeli hostages conducted in Gaza in an operation that the Gaza Ministry of Health said killed more than 270 Palestinians and injured hundreds more.

The withdrawal of Gantz, leader of the center-right National Unity party, leaves Netanyahu with plenty of seats in his coalition but makes him even more dependent on the support of far-right allies, including Finance Minister Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister who has repeatedly threatened to withdraw over any ceasefire deal in exchange for hostages.

Smotrich said Hamas “demands the release of hundreds of murderers [held by Israel] so that the hostages are released’ and called the negotiated deal ‘collective suicide’, saying it would lead to the killing of Jews.

“When Hamas calls for an end to the war, while surviving in Gaza, this means that the group is arming itself, digging tunnels, buying rockets, and that many Jews could be killed and taken hostage on another October 7,” Smotrich said.

His comments underscored Netanyahu’s shrinking political maneuvering space just 24 hours after the Israeli media made festive headlines about the hostage rescue.

Netanyahu basked in the success of the operation, meeting each of the hostages as the cameras rolled. Recent opinion polls have already shown that he is making some progress in rebuilding his image, and the bailout will help.

Analysts and commentators have been quick to say that the possibility of a similar operation being replicated for the remaining 120 hostages, at least 40 of whom are believed to be dead, is slim as the captives will be under tighter guard, making the negotiated deal even more important.

Netanyahu appears to be trying to consolidate his power over the government amid reports that he is considering scrapping the emergency military cabinet in which Gantz serves.

Gantz was well regarded by some Western diplomats, not least in the US, where he was seen by the Biden administration as a voice of reason and where there is concern about the growing influence of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.

In further signs of strain within the coalition, Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced plans to defy Netanyahu and oppose a controversial bill to draft a small number of ultra-Orthodox men into the army.

Columnists in the Israeli press poured cold water on the idea that the hostage rescue operation obviated the need for a hostage deal.

“If one believes [it] frees the government from having to make a deal, they are living in a fantasy,” Nahum Barnea wrote in the mass-selling newspaper Yediot Aharonot. “There are people who need to be saved, and the sooner the better.”

Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari acknowledged the limitations of military power. “What will bring most of the hostages home alive is a deal,” he told reporters.

This sentiment was echoed by the uncle of one of the four rescued hostages, Almog Meir Can, who was kidnapped during the Nova music festival.

“First of all we thank the IDF, the special forces, the decision-makers who made the decision to save them,” Aviram Meir said, adding that his nephew was held in several different places.

“Secondly, we have 120 more hostages to return home. I believe most of them will not come home in special surgery and we need a deal to bring them home. The dead to bury and the living to restore. And I think the fight will continue and I will be there personally. Although Almog has returned, I myself will continue.”

Describing his nephew’s ordeal, he said: “He was lucky that he was with the other two hostages, Shlomi Ziv and Andrey Kozlov, and they dealt with each other. They studied languages ​​together and all learned Arabic.

“Almog saw a rally at the Tel Aviv Family Forum with pictures of him, so he knew that no one had forgotten him. They cared for each other. They’re a team now. They are very close now.”

Almog was held at least for a time by Abdallah Aljamal, who appears to have worked as a Palestinian journalist and as a spokesman for the Hamas Ministry of Labor, and was killed with several other family members during the raid. He had contributed commentary in 2019 to Al Jazeera

Related to the political moves in Israel is how Hamas will interpret recent events, including the hostage rescue mission. Some have speculated that the attack and the high death toll may be a blow to the morale of Hamas fighters, while others suggest that Hamas leaders may be more interested in rifts in Israel’s political elite.

After a senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, on Monday called on the US to pressure Israel to end the war, it appears likely that Hamas will double down on its demands for international guarantees to end the war and withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza instead of being persuaded to accept a temporary ceasefire.

“We call on the US administration to put pressure on the occupation to stop the war in Gaza, and the Hamas movement is ready to respond positively to any initiative that ensures an end to the war,” Zuhri said.