SALT LAKE CITY — In an unprecedented move, Israel’s cabinet on Tuesday approved a deal to win the release of about 50 hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas in its deadly attack on Israel in October.
In exchange, Israel has agreed to pause attacks on Hamas for at least four days. Details of any other possible concessions were not mentioned by Israeli government offices on Tuesday.
FOX 13 News Anchor Bob Evans spoke with University of Utah law professor Amos Guiora on Tuesday evening about the development. Guiora spent 19 years in the Israeli Defense Forces and retired as a Lt. Colonel. He splits his time between Utah and Jerusalem and has remained active in Israeli politics.
He believes the hostage release deal with Hamas, announced on Tuesday, is an important step.
“So it’s pretty clear that there a number of sub-goals here,” he said. “I think one of them is absolutely to destroy Hamas’ infrastructure. And I think the fact that it’s a pause and not a ceasefire - and we need to be specific about language - suggests that when there’s not a pause, the idea of missile defense forces will continue forcefully,” said Guiora.
He continued, “But I think in terms of, I don’t know if I would say I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I think that this agreement is extraordinarily important.”
The agreement is expected to produce the release of mostly women and children, in groups of 12 to 13 a day, between now and Friday.
According to the Israeli government, so far in this war, 1,200 Israeli citizens have been killed. The Palestinian Ministry of Health recently announced that more than 11,000 people in Gaza have died in Israeli counterattacks. U.S. officials said they cannot confirm the Palestinian numbers.
