This morning (Wednesday), the President of Israel addressed the government decision to approve the hostage deal with Hamas.
Herzog expressed full support and gave his backing to members of the government, saying in a statement that “The reservations are understandable, painful, and difficult, but given the circumstances I back and support the decision of the Prime Minister and the Government to move forward with the deal to release hostages.”
A Significant Step Towards Returning All the Hostages
According to the President, “this is a moral and ethical duty that correctly expresses the Jewish and Israeli value of securing the freedom of those held captive, with the hope that it will be the first step in returning all the hostages home.”
“The State of Israel, the IDF, and all the security forces will continue to act in every way possible to achieve this goal, alongside the restoration of the absolute security of the citizens of Israel.”
The statement comes after the government, following a prolonged meeting last night (between Tuesday and Wednesday), decided to approve the deal with Hamas for freeing some of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Now it will be possible to appeal to the Supreme Court against the deal before its implementation, with the first hostages expected to be freed on Thursday.
According to the approved deal, Hamas is expected to free 50 of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip in stages over four days, all of whom will be children and mothers taken captive on October 7. Hamas demanded that the release only be of civilians and not soldiers, while Israel demanded they all be Israeli citizens. In exchange, Israel will free some 150 prisoners, female and minor prisoners who were not convicted of murder.