The double survival gambit behind the brewing Israel-Hamas hostage deal

During the 7 October massacre, thousands of Hamas terrorists and other residents of the Gaza strip invaded Israel, killing more than 1200 people in one day, and injuring thousands.

Many were tortured, sexually assaulted, raped and murdered, and more than 240 people were violently kidnapped from Israel into Gaza on that dark Saturday.

As of early February, about 100 Israelis are still in Hamas captivity, with an estimated further 30 having been killed, with Hamas retaining their bodies.

In response to the 7 October atrocities, Israel launched a war of an unprecedented scale on the terror organisation, leading to more than 25,000 Palestinians killed and more than 60,000 injured, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. More than a third of these victims are assumed to be militant combatants, but thousands of Palestinian women and children have also been killed as a result of Israel’s response, which has led to accusations of genocide.

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