Link to article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g9vyz747eo
Today, February 8, 2025, as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Hamas released 3 hostages and Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners. The exchange of the hostages was very public where they were on stage with signed paperwork and paraded past filming crowds. Both the hostages and prisoners were regarded as being in ill states of health that was concerning to the Red Cross who helped to get them slightly better before being reunited with families. Both Israel and Hamas criticized the other for holding up the exchange either by violating the terms of the ceasefire or “dragging its feet” when it came to humanitarian aid. The whole ceasefire agreement has been complicated by President Trump’s statement about removing Palestinians from Gaza and taking over the strip.
This article honestly made me more sad than anything because it talked about the families’ reactions to seeing the prisoners and hostages and it just made me feel awful for what those people had to go through. They also talked about some of the prisoners that were released in the exchange and I don’t really understand how those 3 hostages were the only ones released when there were so many prisoners that had done some awful things on the other side. I think that this will have a huge lasting impact on Israel and Palestine because it has become very personal and traumatizing for many pitted against the other because of what they have done to their family and friends so I think it will continue to destabilize the country and the region.
I expect that both Israel and Palestine will attempt to continue ceasefire and exchange agreements as long as the US doesn’t make dramatic moves because I think that would deter Hamas from future agreements with Israel. I do think that these ceasefire agreements are potentially temporary and that this war will continue for some time because it will be very hard to come to a common agreement to stop this war when neither side is willing to compromise with the other. This connects to class because of the major role a terrorist organization can play in international and domestic relations. It also shows the importance of NGOs such as the Red Cross which signed paperwork with Hamas and was a major actor during the exchange with helping people and condemning others for their lack of humanitarianism. An NGO such as the Red Cross is able to be in this situation unlike a single nation or country affiliated organization.