Why the release of hostages is central to Trump’s Gaza cease-fire plan

Hostages remain key to cease-fire

It is two years since Hamas attacked Israel, sparking the Gaza war, and still, hostages remain the linchpin of cease-fire negotiations. Israel estimates that around some 20 people remain alive in detention, while the bodies of some 25 others also remain with the kidnappers. Their fate is a hallmark of Israeli politics as well as global diplomacy, wrote the New York Times.

Trump's initiative and time confusion

US President Donald Trump has tied the release of hostages in his cease-fire plan. His plan insisted that all prisoners, dead or alive, would be released 72 hours after Israel accepts the agreement. Israel, though, said that it accepted it well over a week ago, and the deadline passed then. The delay has engendered growing frustration and confusion in Israel, where the hostage families desire some clarity about when and how the releases would happen.

The condition of the prisoners

Videos published by Hamas in recent months featured emaciated and clearly weak detainees. Those images stunned the Israeli public and fuelled concerns that time is of the essence. Hamas indicated that, even releasing dead bodies for burial, would entail digging up graves, hinting at a long process. To families still waiting, the absence of conclusive proof deepened the sorrow.

What became of the detainees taken on Oct. 7

Among the about 250 kidnapped in the October 7 attacks, many were freed in earlier cease-fires as a prisoner-exchange for Palestinian inmates. At least eight were freed in military campaigns conducted by Israel. Scores, nevertheless, did not make it. Autopsy reports indicate that over 36 were killed in their captors' custody. Some were extrajudicially killed by their kidnappers as the Israelis closed in. Some were killed by drones or in macabre instances of mistaken identity—three, for example, were shot by Israelis who mistakenly thought they were militants. The circumstances of deaths of some remain unsolved.

What Hamas would also gain in return

According to Trump's plan, the freeing of hostages would set off a mass prisoner swap. Israel would release 250 Palestinians who were serving in life sentences and some 1,700 others who were being held since the October 7 attack. Israel would return, for each Israeli body, the bodies of 15 Palestinians. The specifics of when exactly these exchanges would happen remain unclear, further clouding already precarious negotiations.

Why it matters today

The hostages have come to signify a potent emblem within Israel, for both the horrors of the October 7 attacks as well as Israel's continued vulnerability as a country. Their case continues to influence political discourse as well as public sentiment. Success for Trump, who made their release the linchpin of his cease-fire initiative, could lend credence to the argument that he was capable of bringing results in the Middle East. Success for Hamas constitutes a continuing wild card in an ever more desperate war.