President Joe Biden announced a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas Wednesday, shortly after it was confirmed by incoming President Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social.
However, last-minute disputes have held up the Israeli cabinet vote and they are now not expected to ratify the agreement until Friday. Thursday morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expected the agreement to go into effect Sunday. The three-phase deal details the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners currently being kept in Israel.
Meanwhile, voices on the left and right praised the deal as it was announced, but expressed doubts as well for what it would entail. Those on the left, while reporting on the hope of Palestinians, remained skeptical of the deal’s success in later stages. Voices on the right celebrated the return of Israeli hostages, but criticized the deal for potentially leaving Hamas with power in the Gaza region.
The Guardian (Left bias) published an article stating that “after so many false hopes of an end to more than 15 months of fighting, the desire to believe that the bloody war was finally over overcame any misgivings. Even then, the celebrations were ‘cautious’…Even if the warring sides resolve last minute snags, there will be further negotiations before there is a definitive ceasefire and the release of all the hostages. Palestinians, Arab states and Israel are also yet to agree on a common vision for the administration and reconstruction of Gaza.”
A writer for the New York Post Opinion (Right bias) wrote: “The idea of dozens of Israelis — including toddlers — returning home after more than a year in purgatory is enough to dull even the most hawkish observer’s concerns. Yet it is very hard to observe this deal and see it as anything other than an utter and complete disgrace…Because a terror organization, as the old chestnut goes, wins just as long as it doesn’t lose, and forcing Israel to cease fire… is a major victory for Hamas.”
A writer for Mother Jones (Left bias) argued that “while the bombs will stop, the question of aid remains: aid workers say famine has taken hold in Gaza. Nearly every hospital in the enclave has been destroyed, and infrastructure like plumbing and roadways have been rendered unusable. It is also unclear how long the deal will hold, as Israel and Hamas begin the phased release of prisoners and draw back of the IDF from Gaza.”
Bret Stephens (Lean Right bias) wrote in the New York Times Opinion (Left bias): “In the hostage deal, the price for Israel will in many ways be heavy. For every Israeli hostage released by Hamas, Israel will release several-fold Palestinian prisoners, many of them with Israeli blood on their hands… Most seriously, if Israel withdraws from the Philadelphi Corridor… Hamas may have the opportunity to rearm itself at scale, making an eventual replay of Oct. 7 and its aftermath more likely, though by no means inevitable.”
