WTH is Going On With the Hostage Rescue and Political Turmoil in Israel? Haviv Rettig Gur Explains

This past weekend, Israeli special forces rescued four hostages
Hamas kidnapped on October 7 and held in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee
camp. Israelis were ecstatic about the news. Meanwhile, Israel’s
usual detractors in the West accused Israel of war crimes for
harming “civilians” during the operation, apparently forgetting
that Hamas chose to embed hostages within Gaza’s civilian
population. What does the hostage rescue mean for the prospects
of saving the remaining 120 hostages? Will turmoil and
resignations at the senior levels of Israel’s national security
government derail efforts to destroy Hamas? What does the future
hold for this war amid growing threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon?


Haviv Rettig Gur is The Times of Israel’s senior analyst. Before
joining the Times of Israel, he was a reporter for the Jerusalem
Post. Haviv has reported from over 20 countries and served as
director of communications for the Jewish Agency for Israel,
Israel’s largest NGO. He lectures on Israeli politics, the
US-Israel relationship, the peace process, modern Jewish history
and identity, and Israel-diaspora relations. Haviv lives in
Jerusalem with his wife and two sons.


Read the transcript here.