Many Palestinian detainees will resume terrorist attacks, former Israel Prison Service assistant commissioner says.
Charles Bybelezer, Amelie Botbol
(JNS)
Israeli officials confirmed on Thursday night that a hostages-for-ceasefire agreement was reached with Hamas, hours after the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said that the Palestinian terror group had reneged on parts of the deal announced the previous day in an effort to extort last-minute concessions.
With the gaps between the sides finally bridged, a total of 33 hostages, out of the 98 held by Hamas in Gaza, are set to be freed during the initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire.
Israel’s Health Ministry on Thursday released a comprehensive protocol for treating hostages based on lessons learned from the November 2023 ceasefire deal that saw more than 100 captives redeemed from Gaza.
The protocol includes detailed guidelines for medical examinations, mental health care, privacy protection and long-term support.
The hostages will be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, many with blood on their hands, imprisoned in Israeli jails.
Ilan Borreda, former assistant commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, said in a press briefing on Thursday that the security services should assume that many Palestinian detainees will resume terrorist activity.
“Maybe not all of them will because some are old, but Israel should be prepared. If they are released to Judea and Samaria, they could continue to engage in terror, but it will be easier to catch them again there. If they are released to Gaza, Turkey, Qatar or Lebanon, it will be harder,” Borreda said.
Former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre who was killed by IDF troops in Gaza last October, was one of 1,027 Palestinians released as part of the 2011 agreement to free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Borreda explained that the Palestinian prisoners who were sentenced to life were convicted on at least one count of murder. “But it doesn’t mean that the others are less dangerous, because the younger ones were part of Hamas’s military division either in Judea and Samaria or in Gaza,” he said.
“We focus on the prisoners sentenced to life because we see them as the highest prize [for Hamas],” he added.
According to the deal, Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from strategic locations, including the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s Egyptian border, while the Rafah Crossing to Sinai will be opened to allow a massive influx of goods into the Strip.
In July, during its operations in Rafah in southern Gaza, the IDF uncovered an extensive network of tunnels running under the border with Egypt, some which had three levels.
As a consequence, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz last month vowed that the IDF would maintain security in the area, speaking during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor.
Hamas rearming
“This war reflects a terrible Israeli failure, and of course when the ceasefire begins, it will be easier for Hamas to retake some areas currently under the IDF[’s control],” Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told JNS.
“Hamas has got all the necessary supplies from Israel, which enabled it to become richer by reselling humanitarian aid to the population at a profit, and rehired fighters to replace those killed,” he added.
While Eiland said Israel will not be able to entirely prevent Hamas from rearming, the degree to which that happens will depend primarily on three factors.
“The first revolves around whether the Egyptians will be more effective in their task to stop the flow of weapons that cross from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza,” he explained. “I don’t think they will make a bigger effort unless the United States signals that the military assistance [sent to Cairo] will be at risk.”
Second, Eiland said, the incoming Trump administration must attempt to shut off the spigot of Qatari money to Hamas’s coffers.
Lastly, third party countries and organizations interested in participating in the reconstruction of Gaza have to commit to linking funding to the enclave’s demilitarization.
“These three matters are in the hands of America more than Israel’s,” said Eiland. “While Hamas committed to a ceasefire, it did not commit to disarm.”
Like World War II
Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and Israeli lawmaker, told JNS that for Israel to win the war, it must eliminate Hamas in the same way that the Nazi regime was destroyed during World War II.
“For Hamas to win, it’s enough that they survive,” said Dayan, who described “survival” as the capacity for individual Palestinians to continue to engage in terrorism.
“Hamas can always continue and build the hopes to return to what it once was, and we have to prevent them from doing so,” he said.
To ensure this does not occur, Dayan stressed that Israel must achieve not only control over security in Gaza, but also over civilian aspects such as the delivery of water and electricity, and the entry into the enclave of critical resources such as fuel and medicine.
“We have to continue this war because we are not fighting against an entity trying to build Gaza. If that was Hamas’s goal, it would have turned Gaza into the Hong Kong or Singapore of the Middle East with the money invested over the last 10 years. But they’re terrorists, that’s not what they do,” added Dayan.
Like in Lebanon
Brig. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel, former head of the Counter-Terrorism bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office, told JNS that the IDF will have to closely monitor Hamas’s efforts to reestablish its infrastructure.
“To produce rockets, Hamas needs to perform experiments. We need to make sure not to let this happen, so they cannot start to build up their power again,” he said.
“I believe we will duplicate actions we are taking in Lebanon, where we see Hezbollah trying to recover during the ceasefire. We attack their convoys and weapons storage facilities. Whenever we see Hezbollah members trying to save some ammunition, we just blow it up,” continued Nuriel. “I believe that will be Israel’s policy and message to Hamas.”
As for resuming the war against Hamas after the agreement ends, Nuriel said that Israel could do so but it will largely depend on the United States.
“For instance, some progress between the Americans and the Saudis on normalization with Israel could lead us to take a less aggressive approach,” he said.
Dayan stressed that Israel will need to remain vigilant during the ceasefire, as Hamas may have some terrorist surprises in store.
“[Prime Minister David] Ben-Gurion said many years ago that there are some ideas that you have to kill, bury and make sure they’re not resurrected,” Dayan said.
“In the Middle East, [former PLO leader Yasser] Arafat killed the idea of two states for two peoples, Hamas buried it on Oct. 7, and we must make sure it doesn’t come alive again, ” Dayan continued. “If Hamas returns to power in Gaza, we will have to expect another massacre. And we cannot let that happen.”
Image: Hamas terrorists in Gaza City, March, 25, 2017. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.
