Israel must approach any deal with Hamas with extreme caution because “we are dealing with the devil,” said Col. (ret.) Amit Assa, a former member of the Israeli Security Agency. “We have to understand that this is a terror organization.”
COST OF THE HOSTAGE DEAL
Assa emphasized that any agreement allowing Hamas to remain in control of Gaza would be “bad for Israel.” He explained that Israel entered this war with several objectives, including releasing the hostages and annihilating Hamas. According to Assa, these two goals are inherently at odds.
“You can't deal with the devil if you want to kill him,” Assa stated. “These two goals are getting more and more against each other. And when we see a deal to release hostages, it means directly not achieving the other goal of defeating Hamas.”
While Assa acknowledged the significance of securing the hostages' release, he pointed out the broader implications of such agreements.
“So Israel perhaps does need this hostage deal to bring about a sense of unity, of solidarity, not leaving anyone behind,” he concluded, “but there is a cost to this deal.”