Now that the first hostages are back, confidence is increasing in Israel. With further releases, Hamas could prolong the ceasefire – which would be a problem for the Israeli offensive.
Millions of Israelis watched the arrival of the first 13 freed hostages on television screens, were on the streets and glued to their cell phones on Friday. Thousands sang and danced in the square in front of the Tel Aviv Museum, which people now call “Hostages’ Square.” They celebrated the return of the first mothers with their small children and the older women who were handed over with them until late at night. Other Israelis were waiting with white and blue flags for those who had been released and were coming back to Israel from the Gaza Strip in buses via Egypt: They were standing in front of the children’s clinic in the southern city of Ofakim, where the mothers and their children were being accommodated.