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Israeli political commentator Daniel Mendel certainly thinks that the war in Gaza has ended in a historic defeat for Israel. But the war is not yet over. Hamas is crowing that it is still standing, but will it still be standing when the hostage-for-criminals deal is over, and the Israelis realize, to their horror, just how many of those “98 hostages” were murdered by Hamas? Will the IDF not again gird its collective loins and reenter the Gazan cities it has pulled out of, in order to destroy whatever weapons Hamas may have managed to keep from being seized by the IDF, and to kill what remains of its combatants, including the estimated 15,000 new recruits — young and inexperienced in war — that Hamas now claims to have attracted? Mendel thinks the deal Israel has made is a “tragic and historic mistake.” He is convinced that the release of so many terrorist murderers will cause tremendous numbers of Israeli casualties in the future. He may be right. More on Mendel’s rage and despair at this lopsided exchange can be found here: “Israel’s Hostage Deal Is a Tragic and Historic Mistake,” by Daniel Mendel, Algemeiner, January 29, 2025:
The Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal is a massive and crippling defeat for Israel. There is no other way to frame it.
After 15 months of fighting, the best deal Israel could secure was releasing 57 Palestinian criminals and murderers for every Israeli hostage.
Judging from a partial list of those being released, it seems very likely that far more than 98 Israelis will die as a result of this deal.
It is also clear that Israel has failed in its war aims to eradicate Hamas from Gaza and replace it with a new government. The war didn’t establish a deterrent to future terrorism; in fact, this hostage deal will likely *increase* the risk of terrorism, especially hostage-taking.
As Palestinian Media Watch has pointed out, the seeds of the October 7 massacre were planted in 2011, when Israel exchanged 1,027 Palestinian terrorists and murderers for one living Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The terrorists released in 2011 went on to kill or aid in the murder of more than a thousand Israelis, and planned the October 7 massacre itself. (Yahya Sinwar was one of those released in 2011; similarly, many terrorist leaders and masterminds are being released this time).
The Gilad Shalit deal taught the Palestinian people one critical lesson: kidnapping Israelis works.
Now, once again, Palestinians are seeing the fruits of their labors with the absurd release of 1,900 Palestinian terrorists and prisoners for 33 Israelis (who aren’t even all alive).
Of course, we all want to see the 98 Israeli hostages come home — but the definition of insanity is to repeat the same policy and expect a different result; yet, that’s exactly what Israel has done….
It was such a difficult choice. The pressure on Netanyahu from hostage families was enormous, and it seems that President Trump was intent, no matter what the cost to Israel, to seeing that a “deal was done” by the time he took office and could take credit. The Prime Minister caved, although he did reserve the right to renew the war against Hamas should the terror group violate its commitment to return all of the hostages and to halt its barrages against Israel. Now we shall see if, as Daniel Mendel says, this lopsided swap turns out to have been a “tragic and historic mistake,” with many of the freed terrorists returning to terrorism, or whether the requirement that the worst of them be sent neither to Gaza nor to Judea and Samaria, but to other Arab countries, will have been enough to keep them from being able to harm Israelis again. I hope that Daniel Mendel turns out to be wrong. I fear that he will turn out to be right.
We have more reasons to Defund the United Nations since we will also be defunding the Terrorists
Indeed. We can also accomplish some defunding by closing down USAID.
“so many terrorist murderers will cause tremendous numbers of Israeli casualties in the future. ”
That is exactly what has happened after past terrorist prisoner releases, so why would any rationale person think this time it will be different.
Israel has once again allowed itself to be defeated – by itself.
To save one human being is to save the entire world… however that world saved does not include Israel in the muslim world.
“And they created a desert and called it peace.” Until Israel had the guts to walk away from US money, the same pattern will be repeated. What cowards!
Hello? Hamas is rearming ( with help from its Daddy Qatar and Witcoff’s corrupt deal as well as a ridiculous number of aid trucks -containing just what?) ) and they are said to be preparing for battle, according to Israeli sources. Israel is aware and preparing too. The Qatar deal saved a few hostages from the torture and rape dungeons, but it re armed Hamas and gave them more terrorists to join their tanks. However, they have the entire very enthusiastically supportive of Hamas population of Gaza to recruit from anyway.
Now that Trump stated another ultimatum, that will hopefully not ruined by Witcoff and Qatar again, it is likely that the war will restart. The IDF must retake areas given up in this horrid deal. That risks more IDF young men. More than 400 were already killed. Who can evaluate if a hostage’s life is worth more or less than a soldier’s?
Woe to the man who does not learn wisdom from his mistakes!
The left in Israel continues to wield influential power affecting the cultural attitudes of secular Jews in Israel. Let’s not forget that the October 7 massacre was done on the religious holiday Simchas Torah! Those at the Nova Peace Festival were not celebrating the Torah, they are the very leftists/secularists, including those elsewhere throughout Israel, who view the Gazans as victims not of Hamas but of Israel. They are borderline treasonous throughout the government, higher education and known to be in the upper echelons of Mossad, Shin-Bet, the IDF, and major Leftist Media. They have shaped, to Israel’s detriment, both cultural and governmental policies both conciliatory and self defeating with respect to Gaza as well as Judea and Samaria.
Israel, having repeatedly exchanged hostages for terrorists, has set and subsequently reinforced this pathological savagery. It is inexcusable but for those who have loved ones who remain in Hamas custody it is their only concern. Unfortunately, those same people will be blissfully ignorant when those terrorists released for their family member’s return, eventually murder other Israelis; it’s not a matter of if but when. Nor do they have deep sympathies for the IDF soldiers who have fought and died on Israel’s behalf and the streams of grief pouring out from the hearts of their parents, spouses and children.
We have lost over 3 times as many soldiers and through this horrifically negotiated “cease fire” we are destined to have more of our beloved people die!!
Unless Israel learns wisdom from the moral morass of appeasing our enemies, we will be engaging in this revolving door of STUPIDITY.
Hamas has already lied saying that Israel broke the ceasefire thus further delaying hostage release while the recruiting, and rearming of Hamas continues and once again Israel is driven, via the corrupt media, as the egregious party.
If Israel does not engage in a wholesale removal of their Deep State and NOW, the future will be an ever- saddening commentary on the never-ending encroachment of the marauders of evil relentlessly pursuing our annihilation.
I can only imagine what shape Israel would be in if Daniel Mendel were running the country instead of spewing his leftist defeatist drivel in some leftist publication
Islam has fought its battles in this fashion for over 1,000 years. October 7 was no different. They attack, kill a few thousand people, take a couple of hundred hostages and sue for a cease fire 9Hudna). They drag out the hostage exchange all the while replenishing their military gear and manpower after which they will go back on the attack when they are strong.
If you want to solve the Gaza problem, wipe it out once and for all.
One must wonder if the leadership of Israel understands Islamic tactics?
Only dysfunctional, demented muslims can consider what happened to them in the aftermath of Oct. 7th as a victory.
It’s similar to “The Great Hezbollah Victory of 2006.”
Let’s see, Hezbollah’s stated objectives, in fact, their whole reason for existing (their raison d’etre), is to destroy Israel, kill the Jews, and capture their land.
Israel’s stated objective, in fact, its entire reason for existing (their raison d’etre), is to exist.
So here we are, two decades after the great Hezbollah victory. Let’s take stock of what we have:
1. Israel still exists.
2. The Jewish people continue to live and prosper.
3. The border between Israel and Lebanon is the same as it was before summer 2006.
4. About 1,200 Lebanese were killed and 165 Israelis were killed in the fighting.
4. Hezbollah had ceased the systematic firing of rockets or mortars into Israel.
5. Hezbollah has been humiliated on many occasions over the past 16 months and Lebanon is at risk of being turned into a Gaza-like demolition scene.
Yep, my kind of muslim victory.
There needs to be an agreed international policy on hostage-taking – one that sees all civilised nations applying maximum sanctions to the hostage takers. Whether this can be steered through the UN, given that the Islamic nations would have to vote against it, because the Qur’an approves of kidnapping and slavery, is another matter, although if anyone can do it, Elise Stefanik probably can.
Stop it! Stop taking muslim war criminals prisoner and treating them as though they were regular criminals. Execute them in the field under the rules of the Geneva Convention. Give their fellow war criminals one less reason to take hostages.
The question of who won and who lost is out of sequence. In case somebody was not aware, the war has not ended, but is merely in idle during a “cease fire”. Cease fires between Israel and Hamas are a no win for Israelis. It gives Hamas time to re-group and re-arm. Getting the hostages back is, of course, a necessity, but the price, as usual, is too high. Releasing criminals and murders to get another chance to hurt you is not sound policy. Of course, the conduct of the war and the results may have been different if Israel didn’t have to let the US micro-manage for the ability to obtain armament from the US. Israel must become self-sufficient for their war needs. Israel is also suffering from the lack of ability to get out their news to the globe. Hamas has overwhelmed them with their propaganda machine. Lastly, Israel needs to be less humane on the battlefield. They need to adopt a take no prisoners policy. If they take no prisoners, those killed can’t come back to try again and Hamas will be less likely to take hostages. Finally, I hope and pray, that Israel has the opportunity to finish this war on their terms.
No, the war in Gaza hasn’t ended – just paused.