21
votes
How many hostages has Israel freed through direct military operations (rather than negotiations) after Oct. 7?
As of 27/8/2024, the answer is 8:
Ori Megidish was freed from northern Gaza on 31/10/2023.
Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har were freed from Rafah on 12/2/2024.
Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Shlomi ...
- 5,983
15
votes
Why don't countries announce they'll never try to save hostages to discourage the practice?
They do. The UK, for example:
The UK's position on payment of terrorist ransoms is very clear: we do not pay, on the basis that providing money or property to a terrorist group fuels terrorist ...
- 124k
13
votes
Why does Israel not agree to a permanent ceasefire with Hamas in order to return hostages with the intention of breaking the ceasefire later?
Israel is not simply negotiating with a terrorist organization, it is negotiating with a political organization that controls the Gaza Strip. Every single one of its allies supports Israel with the ...
- 11.2k
11
votes
Accepted
Does Hamas have any leverage against Israel (other than the hostages)?
Rising Palestinian casualties
The obvious leverage that Hamas has is the suffering of the Palestinian civilians combined with the mediatization of the conflict. As of this moment Wikipedia cites the ...
8
votes
Accepted
Why don't countries announce they'll never try to save hostages to discourage the practice?
First, the title is off. "Never trade, never pay ransom" makes sense. "Never save" doesn't. Successfully rescuing hostages is a deterrent to kidnappers, a serious feather in a ...
- 92.8k
8
votes
Why does Israel not agree to a permanent ceasefire with Hamas in order to return hostages with the intention of breaking the ceasefire later?
IDK if there's any public discussion about this involving Israeli officials, but while ceasefires are sometimes broken, this is presumably not the last time that Israel expects some of their citizens ...
8
votes
Were any humanitarian organisations involved in trying to recover the Israeli pilot, Ron Arad
It is typical for humanitarian organizations, notably Red Cross, to serve as an intermediary in such situations - when the sides do not have diplomatic relationships or even do not recognize each ...
7
votes
Accepted
Is mutilation, sexual assault and kidnappings of minors a part of Hamas' ideology or do they oppose it?
Hamas denial
Hamas has repeatedly denied that they have committed any sexual violence or violence against civilians on October 7. E.g., according to Egyptian Mada Masr:
Although Israel’s social ...
7
votes
Is mutilation, sexual assault and kidnappings of minors a part of Hamas' ideology or do they oppose it?
Obviously, anything said will be speculation until we get direct evidence of Hamas' plans, but there are a few general points that can be made:
Sexual assault has been a side effect of warfare ...
- 76.4k
5
votes
Does Hamas have any leverage against Israel (other than the hostages)?
leverage [...] to negotiate something
The answer to this question is going to depend on what that something is. Thus far Israel says is only willing to accept outright surrender [or death] of Hamas ...
5
votes
IDF soldiers killed the third hostage. Does the Israeli government have any specific explanation or solution for this?
Israeli Defense Forces acknowledged that the killing of the three hostages was in violation of the rules of engagement:
The IDF soldiers who mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza on Friday ...
3
votes
How many hostages has Israel freed through direct military operations (rather than negotiations) after Oct. 7?
As of 28 August 2024, 117 hostages had been returned alive to Israel, with 105 being released in a prisoner exchange deal, four released by Hamas unilaterally and eight rescued by the Israel Defense ...
- 31
3
votes
Why does Israel not agree to a permanent ceasefire with Hamas in order to return hostages with the intention of breaking the ceasefire later?
Israel rejected Hamas's requests and made an offer of their own, so there's negotiation, at least formally.
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/hamas-says-israeli-proposal-fails-to-meet-palestinian-demands%...
- 4,584
3
votes
Accepted
IDF soldiers killed the third hostage. Does the Israeli government have any specific explanation or solution for this?
Daniel Hagari (IDF spokesperson, as quoted by CNN):
This is a mistake and a malfunction.
IDF website:
Chief of the General Staff's Statement Regarding the Incident in Which 3 Hostages were ...
- 1,654
2
votes
Does Hamas have any leverage against Israel (other than the hostages)?
In order to answer, first let us clearly establish what leverage is: leverage is some action that Hamas can offer Israel in exchange for prolonging the ceasefire or other benefits.
I fail to see how ...
- 1,114
2
votes
Why don't countries announce they'll never try to save hostages to discourage the practice?
Terrorism is a type of psychological warfare. It uses random, public, and largely symbolic acts of violence not merely to produce fear, but to promoted anger and distrust among citizens against their ...
- 76.4k
1
vote
Why don't countries announce they'll never try to save hostages to discourage the practice?
Because human lives matter ... because humanity matter
The pointed solution can be further continued with no limit. What if we kill our own innocent people to show our enemies we are not afraid of our ...
- 328
1
vote
Why does Israel not agree to a permanent ceasefire with Hamas in order to return hostages with the intention of breaking the ceasefire later?
Pros and cons of removing Hamas
This makes sense at one level: it seems understandable to me that Israel, having made the decision to eliminate Hamas as a force that threatens the security of its ...
1
vote
Why does Israel not agree to a permanent ceasefire with Hamas in order to return hostages with the intention of breaking the ceasefire later?
It may be that going back on its agreement may make it difficult for Israel to reach deals with terrorist organizations in future hostage release negotiations. However, one would hope that Israel will ...
- 12.6k
1
vote
Is mutilation, sexual assault and kidnappings of minors a part of Hamas' ideology or do they oppose it?
TLDR: Probably neither, but they certainly don't strongly oppose it.
It would be very difficult to determine if Hamas terrorists participating in the 2023-10-7 raid were given specific instructions to ...
- 2,291
1
vote
Is mutilation, sexual assault and kidnappings of minors a part of Hamas' ideology or do they oppose it?
Hamas represents itself as highly Islamic, hence I assume Islamic values should be default for them. And, very unfortunately (and to my surprise), Islam permits rape of civilian women by soldiers of ...
- 23.1k
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