Complex Issues Remain for Israel-Hamas 10/14 06:09

   

   JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel and Hamas moved ahead on a key first step of the 
tenuous Gaza ceasefire agreement on Monday by freeing hostages and prisoners, 
raising hopes that the U.S.-brokered deal might lead to a permanent end to the 
two-year war that ravaged the Palestinian territory.

   But thornier issues such as whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern 
Gaza -- and the question of Palestinian statehood -- remain unresolved, 
highlighting the fragility of an agreement that for now only pauses the 
deadliest conflict in the history of Israel and the Palestinians.

   For Israelis, the release of the 20 remaining living hostages brought 
elation and a sense of closure to a war many felt they were forced into by 
Hamas, although many pledged to fight on for the return of deceased hostages 
still in Gaza. But with the living hostages freed, the urgency with which many 
were driven to call for an end to the war will likely diminish, easing pressure 
on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance the next phases of the 
agreement.

   Four deceased hostages were returned to Israel on Monday, and another 24 are 
supposed to be turned over as part of the first phase of the ceasefire, which 
also requires Israel to allow a surge of food and other humanitarian aid into 
Gaza.

   While there was an outburst of joy in Gaza for prisoners returning from 
Israel and hope that the fighting may wind down for good, the torment drags on 
for war-weary Palestinians. Gaza has been decimated by Israeli bombardment; 
there is little left of its prewar economy, basic services are in disarray and 
many homes have been destroyed. It remains unclear who will pay for 
reconstruction, a process that could take years.

   Israel says the deal achieves its war objectives

   U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to the region to celebrate the deal. In 
an address to Israel's parliament, he urged lawmakers to seize a chance for 
broader peace in the region. In Egypt, he and other world leaders gathered to 
set the trickier parts of the deal into motion.

   Netanyahu, who according to his office did not join the meeting in Egypt 
because of a Jewish holiday, told parliament that he was committed to the 
agreement, saying it "ends the war by achieving all our objectives." Israel had 
said it would not end the war until all the hostages were freed and Hamas was 
defeated. Critics accused Netanyahu of allowing the war to drag on for 
political reasons, which he denied.

   The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, when militants killed 1,200 
people and took 251 captives. Israel's retaliatory campaign killed more than 
67,000 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not 
differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count. The ministry is 
part of the Hamas-run government. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate 
by the U.N. and many independent experts.

   The war has rippled across the Middle East, with conflict erupting between 
Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen and Iran 
itself.

   Israel is elated by the return of the living hostages

   Israelis watched with jubilation in public screenings attended by thousands 
as the 20 living hostages, all male, reunited with their families. Crowds broke 
into cheers, as tears of joy streamed down relieved faces.

   "You are alive! Two arms and two legs," said Zvika Mor, upon seeing his son 
Eitan for the first time in two years.

   When Bar Kupershtein was reunited with his family, his father, Tal, who uses 
a wheelchair after a car accident and stroke, fulfilled a promise to himself by 
standing up for a few minutes to embrace his freed son.

   Unlike previous releases, Hamas held no ceremonies for the captives before 
freeing them. Instead, families received video calls from masked militants who 
allowed them a first glimpse at their loved ones before they came home.

   The plight of the hostages had widespread support in Israel, where thousands 
would join the families for weekly protests demanding Israel secure their 
release.

   The fate of the hostages was a central driver of a movement in Israel to end 
the war. Many Israelis viewed Netanyahu's twin goals of freeing the captives 
and defeating Hamas as incompatible.

   Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said any delay by Hamas in retuning the 
remaining bodies of deceased hostages would be viewed as a violation of the 
ceasefire deal.

   Israel frees some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners

   Large crowds greeted freed prisoners in Beitunia in the Israeli-occupied 
West Bank and in Khan Younis in Gaza. The prisoners flashed V-for-victory signs 
as they descended from buses that took them either to the West Bank, Gaza or 
into exile.

   "Praise be to God, our Lord, who has honored us with this release and this 
joy," said Mahmoud Fayez, who was returned to Gaza after being detained early 
last year in an Israeli raid on the main Shifa Hospital.

   The prisoners include 250 people serving life sentences for convictions in 
attacks on Israelis, in addition to 1,700 seized from Gaza during the war and 
held without charge.

   The fate of the prisoners is a sensitive issue in Palestinian society, where 
almost everyone knows or is related to someone who has been imprisoned by 
Israel. They are viewed by Palestinians as freedom fighters.

   Trump celebrates the deal in Israel and Egypt

   In his Knesset speech, Trump told Israeli lawmakers their country must now 
work toward peace.

   "Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms," Trump 
said. "Now it is time to translate these victories against terrorists on the 
battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire 
Middle East."

   His speech was briefly interrupted when two Knesset members staged a protest 
and were subsequently removed from the chamber. One held up a small sign 
reading, "Recognize Palestine."

   In Egypt, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Trump attended a summit with 
leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza and the broader 
Middle East. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who administers parts of the 
West Bank, also attended.

   Despite Trump's optimism, many thorny issues remain

   Among the most difficult issues left to resolve is Israel's insistence that 
a weakened Hamas disarm. Hamas refuses to do that and wants to ensure Israel 
pulls its troops completely out of Gaza.

   So far, the Israeli military has withdrawn from much of Gaza City, the 
southern city of Khan Younis and other areas. Troops remain in most of the 
southern city of Rafah, towns of Gaza's far north, and along the length of 
Gaza's border with Israel.

   The future governance of Gaza remains unclear. Under the U.S. plan, an 
international body will govern the territory, overseeing Palestinian 
technocrats running day-to-day affairs. Hamas has said Gaza's government should 
be worked out among Palestinians.

   The plan envisions an eventual role for Abbas' Palestinian Authority -- 
something Netanyahu has long opposed -- but it requires the authority to 
undergo reforms.

   The plan calls for an Arab-led international security force in Gaza, along 
with Palestinian police. Israeli forces would leave areas as those forces 
deploy. About 200 U.S. troops are in Israel to monitor the ceasefire.

   The plan also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state, 
another nonstarter for Netanyahu.