The war in Gaza broke out Oct. 7, 2023, with the Hamas’s invasion of Israel and the massacre of at least 1,200 people. More than 250 others were taken hostage. The attack came at a time when Israel was fractured at its core, ripped apart by controversial judicial reforms spearheaded by the Netanyahu government and after five elections in just three-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n
Hamas identified that vulnerability and took advantage of it.<\/p>\n
For the last 15 months, Israel has done everything it can to restore not just its deterrence in the volatile Middle East, but also to rehabilitate as a nation and recover from the darkest day it has experienced in its almost eight decades as an independent state.<\/p>\n
While the horrors of Oct. 7 will never fade from the minds of those who lived through them\u2014the images of innocent civilians abducted from their homes, forced into dark tunnels in the Gaza Strip, are seared into the national conscious\u2014with the return of the hostages, we can begin a process of healing. While the deal is controversial and the dilemma over accepting it is genuine, the idea of bringing home the hostages overcame all other considerations. No government in Israel could, in good conscience, ignore the call to secure their release.<\/p>\n
Yet, there is an equally compelling reality: the risks Israel now faces by entering a deal with a cynical terrorist group that has shown time and again its commitment to destruction, and not to peace. While the idea of saving innocent lives is noble, the deal has many flaws\u2014it is muti-phased, allowing Hamas to violate it at multiple points\u2014and most importantly it allows for the possibility that Hamas will reconstitute itself and return to govern the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
To some extent, this is the underlying threat of the hostage deal: it may bring Israeli civilians and soldiers taken on Oct. 7 back to their families, but it leaves the larger question unresolved\u2014what will happen to Hamas? Which is why, while the deal is undoubtedly the right move now, it cannot obscure the conclusion that Hamas needs to be defeated. That is a fight that will not end with a piece of paper signed in Doha.<\/p>\n
What the hostage deal does provide Israel, though, is the opportunity to finally begin the process of healing it so desperately needs as a nation. Even with the defeat of our enemies over the last year\u2014Hezbollah is weakened, Iran is vulnerable and exposed, and Hamas’ military has been dismantled\u2014none of these successes could be fully appreciated by Israelis as long as their people remained in captivity. Now, if all the hostages return home, this can finally begin.<\/p>\n
Beyond emotional healing, the country needs a recovery plan, as well as to come to understand what went wrong. There are still too many questions that need answers as to how and why October 7 happened, and what happened to the Israeli people that allowed its leaders to rip them apart over issues that now seem negligible?<\/p>\n
And what are the lessons from this war for Israeli society? How can we bridge the divide with our Arab neighbors and even internally between the secular and religious?<\/p>\n
So, while the fighting might pause in Gaza for some time, there is still much work ahead for Israel. With a deal in place, that process can finally begin, not just for the individuals who have suffered, but for the state as a whole.<\/p>\n