JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Idan Alexander, the Israeli soldier released on Monday night, was the first Israeli Hamas hostage to be released without any compensation to the terrorist group. Since he is a soldier and male, the price for his release would seemingly have been hundreds of Hamas terrorists as well as a prolonged ceasefire, as occurred in previous hostage exchanges and as seen in the 2011 Shalit deal. This begs the question of why Hamas agreed to release him and what they are receiving in return.
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President Trump apparently promised Hamas to give them “more than they gave” in return for Alexander, but the official Hamas statement said that the decision to release Alexander came after recent talks with US officials and “intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.”
This effectively means that the pressure of Israel’s refusal to cease fire, keeping border crossings tight and not allowing humanitarian aid were major factors in Alexander’s release. All these elements can be traced to the strategy of maintaining military pressure, a strategy ironically opposed by many hostage families hoping to see their loved ones as soon as possible.
Hamas added in its statement that it was prepared to enter intensified negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutually “agreed ‘prisoner exchange’, and enable Gaza to be administered by an independent professional authority. If the terrorist group is serious, this could also be due to their international isolation and the military pressure of Israel which has not been tempered by the current US administration.
Yet the real reason for Alexander’s surprise release is that he is a US citizen and Hamas aimed to go behind Israel’s back and gain a foothold in US public opinion. In this way they hope to place a wedge between Israel, which still has over 20 live hostages in Gaza, and the US, which now has none and will thus have less public support for Israeli military action against the terrorist group.
Hamas also wished to embarrass the Israeli government, showing it to be impotent in releasing hostages as opposed to the US, which receives them gratis. The coup de grace was supposed to be Idan Alexander’s photo opp in Qatar with President Trump. In one fell swoop, the wealthy terrorist-funding entity would gain both legitimacy and respect as the savvy negotiator which heroically extricated the Israeli-American hostage from captivity. The offer of a 400 million dollar jet for Air Force One gives Qatar further leverage with the US government, which could conceivably lead to pressure on Israel to cease its Gaza operations. (Israel has in fact sent a delegation to Qatar to restart the negotiation process).
Yet Alexander saw or maybe was advised not to play along with the Hamas script and fly to Doha. Although this is a snub to President Trump, it represents a personal victory for the soldier over his captors, who will not be able to grant Qatar the publicity stunt it so craved. Just as former refusenik Anatoly Sharansky waited on the bridge to freedom in 1986, taunting his former captors and acting like a free man, Alexander has landed a blow to Hamas’s aspirations for respectability. In a war where media opinion can matter as much as military strength, this too represents a victory of the forces of good over evil.
What a weird take. We all know hamas released him because Qatar told Hamas to do so. We now confirmed what we already suspected. Qatar is holding Israeli hostages. Alexander did not go to Qatar because he’s exhausted and probably does not want to see another ishmaeli for a long long time.
This reminds me of one of the most frustrating things I hear Yidden say.
Concerning WWII I’m sure all of us have heard a story which ends with, “We won!”
To which I always ask, “If 6 million Jews killed, the end of Europe as the center of Jewish life, no major Yeshivas still located there, & no major Hasidic groups still based in Europe is called “Winning” what exactly would you call losing?”
Well stated. Hamas and their Qatari backers use their psychological warfare tactics as a powerful weapon. Hamas and Qatar are the classic bad cop good cop actors. Idi’s refusal to help this vile PR game is indeed a defeat for Hamas and their Qatari sponsors. Had Idi gone to Qatar it would have been much like the outrageous hostage releases that Hamas orchestrated in Gaza with hostages waving and signing graduation certificates. Only here both Idi and the President would have been innocent stooges on the terrorists’ publicity stage. Although it is likely President Trump isn’t aware of the intended PR manipulation and that that he only wanted to show off his big win, Idi did well not to allow himself and the President to be cogs in the despicably, underhanded Hamas/Qatari plans.
could be, but I don’t think this is the reason.
By not traveling to Qatar, Idan demonstrated common sense and strength of character. The paymaster of Hamas did not deserve a thanks – it was they who encouraged and financed October 7th. Only in a world of perverted logic, and billion dollar deals for inducement, are the Qataris deserving of praise. By avoiding world media attention in Qatar, his moral stance displayed rare wisdom and integrity.