What is your opinion on the temporary cease fire and the freeing of hostages?

[Anonymous]

What is your opinion on the temporary cease fire and the freeing of hostages? Do you feel hopeful that the majority or all still in captivity will be released, or do you think continued negotiations will break down quickly?

[Peter_Penetrator]

War is a war crime in itself. Innocent civilians end up being killed in just about any war.


But when it comes to urban gorilla warfare, the enemy doesn’t wear a uniform that screams out l am the enemy, come kill me.


Your enemies camouflage or uniform looks identical to what civilians wear. Your enemies hide amongst the civilian population to avoid being attacked and killed. Any civilized society will do all they can to limit collateral damage during wartime. Your enemies know this. Your enemies are not civilized.


Once the defenders begin killing innocents, it works in the favor of your enemy. This is why your enemy does this. It makes the good guys into bad guys. Support for the defender, on the world stage, drops off as it has or else Israel would occupy Gaza on the basis of securing their homeland and completely decimating all of Hamas no matter the civilian cost.


I am glad that those that were kidnapped on October 7th, are being freed. Israel is in the right by their latest military actions in Gaza. Non Hamas Palestinians have suffered tremendously and must eventually work to remove Hamas’ leadership.


But l am afraid that Hamas is winning the hearts and minds of those Palestinians that have lost what is closest to them and other Muslims as well. Therefore increasing their ranks.


Maybe there is a silver lining, maybe those that do consider joining Hamas will now think twice about that decision.

[SherriMarieValentine]

I am a US Navy retiree. I have "individual augmentee" time. You talk like someone who has NOT served and is just spouting the pabulum you've been preprogrammed to puke upon "trigger."

[Exterminatore]

Surprisingly I think it’s a great deal. Get all the hostages out. Who cares if they release 100, 500, even 1000 terrorist prisoners to do it.


I say this because the hostages will be freed. They can then resume killing as many terrorists as possible. Rather than keep the terrorists in prison they can release them in exchange and kill them instead. It’s more fitting their lives be ended anyway.


So yeah, get the hostages back, then simply return to annihilating Hamas as soon as they get them back. Win/win for Israel.

[Anonymous]

Its good hostages are being freed. Hamas was keeping them as a bargaining card. Also more people need to be let out of Gaza so they don't get indiscriminately bombed. I can see it going wrong/both choosing to stop caring about hostages. Israel wants all of Hamas & Palestinians eradicated so at the end of the day the Gaza strip (and more) will be lost. Unfortunate situation being created.

[jennifer_bloom]

It's of course better if all hostages are freed and all gun fire stops but people might delay that outcome for ideological reasons.

[RingOfFire]

I think that Israel needs to wipe out Hamas. Every minute of a "ceasefire" endangers more Israeli lives because Hamas uses the time to strengthen their positions. The fact that the Israeli army is so humane that they put their own lives in danger to save hostages, a great deal of whom are not even Israeli's tells you everything you need to know about which side is the moral one. Keep in mind that a recent poll showed that SEVENTY PERCENT of Palestinians in Gaza SUPPORT Hamas, an officially designated terrorist organization who the Palestinians VOTED IN A LANDSLIDE ELECTION to run Gaza. So is there really any difference between "Palestinians" and Hamas?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tN1MkAGuVyYhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/Tu-5xxZJxmA

[Jersey2]

I feel bad for all the civilians getting killed but Hamas is using them as shields which is just wrong. Thats not a winning strategy either.

If I were raised Palestinian I would be fighting the Israelis as well. But if I were raised Israeli, I would be a soldier there. Both sides have claims and both sides have grievances.

BUT Oct 7th was a terrorist act and the Israelis need to hunt down and kill all the Hamas fighters they can and they will have to attack them even when Hamas hides behind civilians.

And where are the feminists of the world screaming about the Hamas rape and torture of women? It makes no sense to me.

[OddBeMe]

I think Palestinians are turning on Hamas because they’re suffering, but they’re still not gonna like Israel.

Hopefully hostage releases continue but I think it’ll stall near the end. Hamas won’t give them all up. The ones that were released were old, have escaped several times, or were dual citizens with other nations who would hate them.

[PhantomMenace22]

Of course they're suffering. They've been under illegal occupation by Israel for 75 years now. Thousands of them are being killed, losing their homes, families and being displaced. An average of 500-700 Palestinian children are being detained by Israeli forces each year and held as hostages in jail, without any trial or lawyer, being subject to abuse and deprived of their basic human rights. Yet people are still trying to paint Israel as a victim

[OddBeMe]

@PhantomMenace22 All true. But again I’m talking today. Israel could change this. Most of the power is on their side.

[SherriMarieValentine]

Less death is always good. The historical and political situation is far to deep for casual, off hand conversation.

[Asker]

You're not wrong. A lot of people, myself being one of them, have a scratch the surface understanding of what is going on. I try not to get too deep in, because there are people on both sides where this has been their lifetime of struggle, and you, yes, don't want to be casual about something so life and death, except to ask such a general question as what do you think?

[SherriMarieValentine]

I am retired US Navy. I've seen the best mankind can do for and to each other. I still don't want to comment on a situation with so many nuances that it is itself a long subject to study, even for career diplomats.

[MysticDevice]

Double edged sword.

Yes people will be freed on both sides and civillians can figure themselves out. But Hamas will just reconsolidste its position and start another attack. Either after the ceasefire or by violating the ceasfire.

[Asker]

Wondering how long the "truce" will hold really. I think last I read, the majority of the hostages left were taken by smaller sects, probably less organized, less inclined to release hostages and of course, if anyone even fires an errant shot, this thing is easily back on.

[PhantomMenace22]

I don't see any Hamas anywhere. All I see is innocent children and civilians dying.. How do you explain that Palestinians in the West Bank are still being killed, despite the fact there's no Hamas there?
The same thing has been going for the past 75 years, cause Israel wants to wipe out the Palestinians and steal their land

[MysticDevice]

If they actually wanted to they'd have done it by now.

You don't see Hamas because they're hiding inside hospitals and using civillians as human shields.

Now go yell at the British Empire for promising the same strip of land to two separate people.

[Radiate143]

Well Israel went and rounded up the same amount of hostages they freed of Palestinians in West Bank. They are completely wrong and always have been. I think that they suck.

[Snakeyes7]

That is how I would rather have the Israel Palestine thing go down. Get the American hostages out and hopefully have the US stay out of the remainder of the conflict.

I doubt the second one will be done though.

[PhantomMenace22]

USA can't stay out of the "conflict", as it's already funding the genocide, giving 3 billion dollars each year to Israel as military aid. The only moral thing to do is Biden to call for a permanent ceasefire

[Snakeyes7]

@PhantomMenace22 they have been funding both sides really pretty much since Isreal has been reestablished.

We should have given the Jews Israel and fucked off.

[goaded]

It's what happens when serious people have serious negotiations behind the scenes and don't make it all about themselves. It's a start.

[JacobJordan]

collateral damage is inevitable and honestly I wouldn't risk bringing hostages to a safe area filled with citizens

[Unit1]

Ceasefire? How about no fucking war to begin with? 🤦‍♀️

[Anonymous]

What about the Palestinian kids that are being kidnapped and thrown in jail by Israeli forces? Why does no one ask a question about them?

[exitseven]

It is a dodge by Hamas to stall for time so they can reload.

[Anonymous]

When the hostages are released, the gloves will come off and Hamas will be toast. Having said that, it doesn't look good for the hostages.

[findacure4wokeness]

My option is to stay out of it. They both hate us westerners anyway.

[PhantomMenace22]

No, they don't. This is anti-Muslim propaganda perpetuated by the West and the Western media to justify USA's military invasions in the Middle East under the pretext of terrorism.
They're just normal people that want to live their lives freely and peacefully like everyone else in the world.

[Anonymous]

Who cares. Just so long as they stop calling them “Americans.” 🙄

[Anonymous]

Its incredibly stupid, and Biden needs to stay out of it.

[Asker]

How do you propose he does that? There are still apparently 9 American hostages left. No President has ever had the luxury of ignoring these type of situations or staying out of it no matter which political party they are a part of. People are already highly upset he hasn't done more like its easy to just get a hostage out of some dark tunnel somewhere without getting them killed. This is the point where even I have to give presidents a lot of grace, and let them do the best they can.

[Opinion Owner]

By minding his own damn business.

[Anonymous]

I'm hopeful because white house stop funding war lol...

[sheikalana]

Should be a permanent decision not temporary.

[ThrillSeeker01]

I have hope things will work out.

[Pterodon]

I think it’s crap

[Exterminatore]

Why? Think about it. Israel can get the hostages, and whoever they release in exchange can be killed as an enemy combatant. That’s a win/win as I see it.