Gaza Hostage Deal in “Coming Month or Two,” Israeli General Avivi Says

Trump demands release by Inauguration Day

Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of American hostage Omer Neutra, spoke at the Republican National Convention on July 17, 2024. Neutra’s death on October 7, 2023, only now became known.

The incremental ins and outs of the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a hostage release haven’t been the subject of a lot of attention here. That’s not because I’m not hoping for the release of the hostages or the return of the bodies of those no longer alive, but rather because I haven’t seen Hamas as interested in a deal. The endless reports that one was coming soon have seemed almost counterproductive, a combination of psychological warfare by Hamas against Israel, wishful thinking by the Biden administration, and an effort by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s enemies in Israel and abroad to smear him by falsely portraying him as the obstacle to the return of the hostages.

Yet the situation has now changed. This morning, Brigadier General (Reserve) Amir Avivi, the founder and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said three factors now make a deal for release of the hostages more likely.