A few facts central to any discussion of a deal between Israel and Hamas: On Oct. 6, 2023. Gaza was not occupied. No Israelis lived there. No Israeli soldiers patrolled there. Gaza was not an open-air prison. It had schools, malls, libraries, hospitals, restaurants, sandy beaches. Hamas initiated a war on Oct. 7, 2023 by staging the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas could have brought a halt to this war at any time by releasing the hostages and laying down their weapons. They refused to do so. Hamas deserves the blame for every death, on both sides, over the past 468 days. Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a ceasefire and the return of hostages – over time – in exchange for Israel halting its offensive and releasing hundreds of convicted terrorists from prison. Host Cliff May asks his FDD colleagues Jonathan Schanzer and Richard Goldberg some of the many questions that arise.
