GNITN – Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 45
All About The Hostages

Hostage Negotiations Continue

According to the White House National Security Council spokesperson, a hostage deal is as close as it’s ever been. We read more on this from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-20-2023/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&utm_medium=desktop_site&utm_campaign=far-right-mks-scream-at-hostages-families-in-knesset-hearing-on-death-penalty-bill) :

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says, “We’re closer now to a hostage deal than we’ve been before,” with regard to reaching a deal to secure the release of some 240 hostages of all ages from Gaza.

Kirby declines to elaborate any further regarding the details.

US President Joe Biden affirmed earlier today that he believes a deal is closer than had been possible previously as well.

Also, in an impromptu reporter question at the annual pardon of a turkey at Thanksgiving, Biden answered the question about a hostage deal by saying “I believe so. Yes.” He also seemed to signal it was close with a pinching of his fingers.

Are We Really Close To A Hostage Deal?

As reported in an article seen in 124news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/1700380477-white-house-denies-report-on-hostage-deal-between-israel-and-hamas) such a deal is not as close as mentioned by Biden:

Negotiations to release hostages held in Gaza have reached a deal agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas, according to the Washington Post, but was quickly denied by a White House spokesperson.

The deal reportedly included a 5-day truce, during which at least 50 hostages would be released as smaller groups in 24-hour increments, while overhead surveillance would “monitor movement on the ground” in order to maintain the pause.

“We’ve made some progress recently and have been working hard to advance this, but it remains a volatile situation,” an American administration official told the Washington Post, on condition of anonymity, regarding a deal that was reportedly detailed in a six-page set of written terms.

"We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get a deal," the White House National Security Council Spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, posted on X in response to the report.

Heated Exchanges

At a hearing over a bill to implement the death penalty for terrorists who participated in the October 7th massacres. There was a lot of finger pointing done and heated back and forth over not the legislation itself, but the timing as we read in this report from i24news.tv (see https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1700482104-death-penalty-bill-for-terrorists-causes-uproar-in-israeli-parliamentary-committee) :

The National Security Committee in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday discussed legislation that would implement a death penalty for the terrorists that carried out the October 7 massacres on southern Israel.

The legislation was advanced by the Jewish Power party, headed by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who stated that death was all that the terrorist organization Hamas and its operatives understand.

Families of the abducted on October 7, now being held hostage by Hamas, raised their concern that advancing the legislation could endanger the lives of over 238 people being held by the terrorist organization in Gaza. The emotional discussion erupted in uproar, and several lawmakers were escorted out of the hearing.

Not Making Things Better?

Things weren’t helped when a Jewish lawmaker said this:

Jewish Power lawmaker Almog Cohen caused a storm when he told the families that they don't have "a mandate on pain.” Faction colleague Limor Son-Har Melech said the law had been important to her for 20 years, ever since her husband was murdered in a terror attack.

Cohen was accused of being insensitive by former Prime Minister Yair Lapid:

The families of the hostages are crying out their pain and the pain of an entire nation," opposition leader, and former Prime Minister, Yair Lapid posted on X.

"There's no limit to the obtuseness and lack of shame of the coalition members who preach to the families. What Almog Cohen did today will be remembered forever. He needs to be ashamed of himself," Lapid added.

Cohen wasn’t having it as we see in this response:

"Yair, you know what happened to me on that black Saturday. I buried almost 50 friends who were lying next to me for more than 24 hours. I fought together with my fellow police officers in real danger of life. I live the trauma every minute and every night," Almog Cohen responded on X.

"My sensitivity to the families of the abductees is always a priority, but when the sentence 'You have killed enough Arabs' was said, I responded matter-of-factly," he explained.

"It's a shame that a politician like you, who additionally does not know how to hold a weapon - is trying to cynically take advantage of the situation to try to make political profit. Don't preach to me,” the Jewish Power lawmaker concluded.

To say things are getting heated in Israeli politics is an understatement.

Hostage Families Are Not Happy

Going back to an article in The Times Of Israel we read that after a meeting with top Israelis leaders, hostage families left unhappy (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/several-relatives-of-hostages-leave-meeting-with-pm-claiming-govt-sending-mixed-messages/) :

Several family members of the hostages in Gaza left their meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle, fuming over what they say have been the mixed messages they have been receiving from the government regarding the goals of the war in Gaza.

Udi Goren, whose cousin is Gaza hostage Tal Haimi, tells Channel 12, “A few days ago, we met with [war cabinet ministers Benny] Gantz and [Gadi] Eisenkot. We heard from them in an unmistakable way that the overarching goal of the war is the return of the hostages.”

For his part, Netanyahu pointed out that eliminating Hamas was just as important as releasing the hostages:

However, he says that Netanyahu told the hostages’ families tonight that the goal of destroying Hamas is on equal footing with that of returning the hostages, which infuriated those present, who feel that their loved ones are being allowed to remain in Gaza for more time, as a result…

He also said this, to give his statements full context:

After meeting with the families of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stresses his commitment to securing their release, calling it “a sacred and supreme mission.”

“We will not let up until they are returned, and this is the responsibility of me and the war cabinet,” he says in a statement.

“I listened to the pain of the families. We spoke heart to heart. I shared with them as much as I could about the diplomatic, intelligence and operational efforts we are leading around the clock,” the premier continues, adding that he thinks about the hostages “all the time.”

Pray For Netanyahu

Netanyahu is in a tough position militarily, politically, as well as publicly. The people are solidly behind the war, but there are those in the nation who grow tired of hearing about releasing the hostages and noting happening. Then there are those inside his own party that want him replaced. And we must remember that Netanyahu fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant was fired just weeks prior to the war. He later reversed that decision. Christians around the world need to support and intercede for him as his fight with terrorism is not just his. These terrorists also want Americans to die because we are supporting Israel. And there is a spiritual aspect to this, too. God loves His chosen people and He loves those who are grafted into the family. Satan hates both and will use his proxies in this world to do as much damage to them as he can for as long as he can. I don’t think I need to tell you more to encourage you to action than that.