Skip to main content

Never-ending echoes of October 7th

What's the hold up with the Hamas hostage deal?

Here is a sobering reminder when it comes to the hostage deal: "With all the optimism, we mustn't forget we're talking to monsters. Until it's done, it's not done."

Memorial for murdered Israelis at the Nova Festival site
Photo: Shutterstock / Protasov AN

The latest round of hostage negotiations has hit a critical snag over who qualifies for humanitarian release, with sources saying the deal could be delayed until Trump's official presidency begins on January 20 - a revelation that has sent shockwaves through families of the captives.

Omer Wenkert, 23, was kidnapped from the Nova festival on October 7th. He suffers from severe colitis. His case has become a flashpoint in the complex negotiations, highlighting the brutal intersection of medical necessity and political bargaining.

"What international law permits holding a sick civilian captive?" his mother Niva demanded in an appeal to Israel's Security Cabinet, brandishing new medical assessments. "My son is being held without his medication, with a grenade in his stomach, and his captors are deciding who's sick?"

According to Prof. Chaim Shirin, head of the Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Wenkert faces severe risks without treatment. The young man's condition could deteriorate rapidly, potentially leading to life-threatening complications including internal bleeding and bowel perforation.

The broader deal framework, as reported by Egypt's Al-Rad channel, envisions significant changes: Israeli withdrawal from most of the Philadelphi Corridor, Palestinian management of the Rafah crossing under the 2005 agreement terms, and the phased release of hostages - specifically the sick, elderly, and women - in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Although there is clear progress, the main dispute centers on the number of living hostages to be released. Also, Hamas has yet to provide a complete list of surviving captives, a prerequisite for any agreement.

For families marking day 444 of captivity, these delays carry unbearable weight. "We're watching headlines that seem promising, but my optimism is cracking," says Yamit Ashkenazi, sister of captive Doron Steinbrecher. "Every delay means more hostages coming home in coffins instead of alive."

The deal has also exposed deep political fissures. When MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) spoke against certain aspects of the negotiation, Ruby Chen, father of captured IDF Sergeant Itay Chen, accused him of "using bereaved families" to oppose the deal.

In Doha, where Israeli negotiators led by a senior Mossad official continue talks, a U.S. official suggested Hamas appears motivated to reach agreement before potential changes in American leadership.

Ynet contributed to this article.

0

0 Comments

Do not send comments that include inflammatory words, defamation, and content that exceeds the limit of good taste.


image of something

Is Netanyahu losing it?

Contrary to what Benjamin Netanyahu promised, heavy machinery enters Gaza

news-israel
Or Levy

Bring them all home!

Freed hostage Or Levy released from hospital – what lies ahead?

news-israel
Keith Siegel is home

Horrific 

Freed hostage Keith Sigel's daughter reveals: "Hamas wouldn't let my father get up; he lay on a a mattress most of the time"

news-israel
Dave Chapelle

He should have stuck to comedy

Comedian Dave Chappelle claims SNL 'censorship' over his Gaza comments - we're not buying it

news-israel
image of something

Sparking outrage at Israeli hospital

Aunt of fallen soldier faints as Hamas terrorist from Oct. 7 attack gets priority MRI at her workplace

news-israel
Nova festival memorial site.

Talk About An Awful Detour

Nukhba Terrorists who massacred Nova festival-goers planned to attack Netivot

news-israel
MK Ofer Cassif.

Turmoil In The Knesset

MK Ofer Cassif compares Trump relocation plan to Nazis

news-israel
Protest for the hostages.

A Breakthrough?

Israeli source: Hamas wants to free more hostages this week - on this condition

news-israel
IDF soldier in Lebanon.

Tenuous Calm

IDF withdraws from Lebanon, will remain in five outposts

news-israel1
Hamas terrorists.

No Progress On Second Phase

Is the Palestinian Authority ending "pay to slay" for terrorists?

news-israel1
Palestinian flags in the Jerusalem neighbourhood Mea Shearim

Makes me sick

Absolutely Vile! Palestinian flags found in Mea Shearim neighborhood confiscated by police

news-israel
Senator Lindsey Graham.

Escalation or Deescalation?

Lindsey Graham: Military strike best way to stop Iran nuclear program

news-israel