Prisoner swap

While we are happy that the hostages are returning home, Israelis live with the fear of the next terror attack to come from those released.

A death penalty for terrorists won't eliminate terrorism, or even hostage-taking to free other, less wicked, prisoners - but it will minimize the pain of impacted Israelis.

"The State of Israel has failed to provide my family and me with security and has failed to deliver justice."

Most of the prisoners on the list are women, and only one prisoner on the list under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest was convicted of murder.

This decision was made following consultations with ministry officials and a review of the hospital’s readiness to handle their anticipated medical needs.

The last swap - involving 103 prisoners from both sides - took place in September.

Of the deal's 18 total paragraphs, 14 have been completed, with three alone dealing with the hostage-prisoner swap, the official said.

Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal arrested in March 2023 on allegations of espionage, was sentenced earlier this month to 16 years in a maximum security prison.

The prisoner, Ahmadreza Djalali, said, "You chose to leave me behind, with a high risk of being executed".

Hezi Simantov discussed the recent release of the video of hostage Alex Tropanov, noting the coordinated nature of the propaganda tactic repeatedly used by Hamas.

If Israel is affected by Hamas' tactics, it will only increase the use of psychological techniques and demonstrate how the "soft power" approach can silence adversaries with a military advantage.