Geisel freedom: Joy and anger in Israel: Chaos with the release of hostages

The release of eight other hostages by Islamists in the Gaza Strip, including two German-Israelis, has triggered a change of feelings in Israel. There was great joy about her return after 482 days in hostile, but also outrage over chaotic and scary scenes during her handover to the Red Cross.

Guided hostage through heated crowds – fear and chaos

The 80-year-old Gadi Moses and 29-year-old Arbel Yehud and five Thai people had to go slowly in Chan Junis in the south of the Gaza Strip through a heated crowd. In pictures, the young woman, accompanied by armed Islamists, who, like the 80-year-old is also a German citizen, is written in the face. Israeli television commentators spoke of a “via Dolorosa”, a Way of the Cross of Jesus, which the hostages had to happen through the crowd on the way to freedom. The 20-year-old soldier Agam Berger, who was the first in Jabalija in the north of the Gaza Strip, had to wave to the spectators before handing over on a stage.

“While the scenes of abuse and terror were horrific towards the hostage to the Red Cross, we are moved to tears about the return of Agam Berger, Arbel Yehud and Gadi Moses from the hostage, together with five Thai civilians”, “, said Israeli President Izchak Herzog. A spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the circumstances of the handover “inhuman” and wrote on the X platform: “This is the enemy we are dealing with.”

Israel reacts with the deletion of the prisoner freedom

Apparently out of annoyance about the images from the Gaza Strip also perceived as humiliating, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed a preliminary stop of the planned discharge of 110 Palestinian prisoners. According to media reports, the prisoners were already sitting in buses in the Ofer prison near Ramallah when the announcement came about the postponement. Relatives were already waiting in Ramallah to celebrate their return. Then it was said that the release should take place a few hours later.

The handover of three other hostages is planned on Saturday. Israel demands from the involvement of Qatar and Egypt to ensure that this does not lead to threatening chaos again.

Hamas demonstrates strength despite the loss of war

In Israel, the pictures from Chan Junis in the south of the Gaza Strip are indicated that the Islamist Hamas still has a strong backing among the civilian population despite the serious devastation and massive losses during the more than one -year war in the coastal strip. Thousands of spectators crowded during the handover ceremony, which took place near the destroyed house of the Hamas boss Jihia al-Sinwar, who was killed in October. Many waved flags in the green color of the Hamas.

The staging of the handover next to Sinwar’s house should probably show that the willingness of Hamas, despite the devastating attacks of Israel on the Gaza Strip and the great suffering of the civilian population, is unbroken.

After an earlier conflict between Israel and Hamas, Sinwar had demonstratively smiled in an armchair in the middle of ruins. The picture is considered an iconic and symbol of resistance to the superiority of Israel.

Uncertain future of ceasefire and hostage

The pictures of the hooded and heavily armed fighters of the terrorist organizations of Hamas and Islamic jihad have emerged since the beginning of the ceasefire are unreasonable from an Israeli perspective. The ambitious war goal of Israel from a “total victory” over Hamas is thus led to absurdity.

A collapse of the ceasefire is also conceivable because a continuation of the Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip after the unprecedented massacre on October 7, 2023 with 1,200 deaths from Israeli perspective is unacceptable.

Observers expect that the second stage of the three-phase agreement between Israel and Hamas may not be implemented at all. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under strong pressure right -wing extremist coalition partners to continue the war in the Gaza Strip.

However, this could seal the fate of the Israeli hostages – including many young men – that are still captured in the Gaza Strip and which should only be released in the second phase. In the relatives, the pictures from Gaza therefore trigger new emotional storms – they fluctuate every day between hope and despair.