The Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, addressed the halachic support he gave for the deal to release hostages during his weekly lecture at the 'Yazidim' synagogue in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yosef said, "We were seeing all these things, such cruelty, these Hamas members, we saw how they kill, terrible things. I didn't just say that we need to release as many as possible, to get the hostages out, for no reason."
He shared an anecdote about a young scholar who disagreed with him: "I asked him, 'Do you have a 17-year-old son? If he were captive in Gaza, would you still write like this? It's easy to say things in the air. Think as if it's your son, as if it's your daughter, God forbid.'"
He emphasized that he had seen the atrocities firsthand, which is why he ruled it as an immediate case of pikuach nefesh (saving a life), outweighing the future risk of releasing terrorists. He also cited his father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's ruling in "Yabia Omer," stating that Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach agreed with this ruling.
There is an ongoing debate within religious circles about the ethical and halachic considerations of prisoner exchanges, with Rabbi Yosef firmly supporting efforts to release hostages despite potential future security risks.
Rabbi Yehuda Gilad, head of the Maale Gilboa Yeshiva, has a different view on Israel's hostage crisis negotiations with Hamas. He addresses the ancient Jewish principle of not redeeming captives for more than their value, but argues that this rule may not directly apply in modern times. Rabbi Gilad also suggests that Israel's current reality differs significantly from the historical context of the law (of not redeeming captives for more than their value) because it is now a sovereign state with military power. He proposes that the decision on hostage deals should be made by political and military leadership rather than religious authorities, as they have access to relevant information.
