Avi Issacharoff, a journalist covering Arab affairs for Yediot Acharonot, reacted on Tuesday to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that every hostage be released by noon on Saturday or severe consequences would follow.
Speaking to 103 FM Radio, Issacharoff shared his perspective, suggesting that Hamas itself is uncertain about its next steps. He pointed out that while Hamas leaders in Gaza have declared the ceasefire over, the terror group’s leadership abroad appears to be signaling a willingness to negotiate.
“They claim that Israel violated the deal. I think that this is mostly flexing their muscles, and we are not going to leave Gaza so easily,” he said.
He emphasized that Gaza is far from a peaceful suburb like Herzliya Pituah, stating, “‘The gates of hell’ opened when the ground operation began. No one held the military back and told them to act gently.” He also described the sheer scale of the devastation in Gaza as “enormous.”
Addressing Trump’s remarks, Issacharoff admitted, “We do not really understand Trump’s declarations, what he wants, and what he intends.”
Hamas, he explained, is determined to maintain its grip on power, which is why it refuses to free all the hostages at once.
In his view, “Hamas does not want to complete the deal, including its second stage, because if Israel withdraws, it is on borrowed time, and it knows that the moment the last hostage is returned, Israel will continue striking its senior command. The hostages are Hamas’ insurance policy, and it will not give up on its last cards.”
Any Democrat that has the chutzpah to complain about proportionality should be rejected from any congressional committees. Hamas needs to eradicated completely, as in “לא תחיה כל נשמה”. That must include many that have not been the designated fighters.