How Israel is preparing to get the hostages back beginning Sunday

The Israeli government has begun preparations to ratify a deal that would begin releasing some of the remaining 98 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. In exchange, they plan to enact a ceasefire with Hamas and free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Already, lists are circulating around the media of which hostages will be released first—women, children and seniors are taking priority—while Israeli hospitals and trauma centres are preparing to receive them, after they spent 467 days in captivity in Gaza. But, unlike the last brief ceasefire and hostage deal in Nov. 2023, this one likely won’t have news media on the scene—and the handover from Hamas to Israel will be done differently, too. The process is expected to begin Sunday, Jan. 19. The reaction within Israel has been mixed. According to Vivian Bercovici, Canada’s former ambassador to Israel, the deal is causing “agony and anguish” among some hardliners who slam the deal as a capitulation to Hamas, especially given that Hamas has not been “destroyed”, as the government promised, after 15 months of war. Others acknowledge that this the only way to bring the remaining hostages home quickly, whether they’re dead or alive. On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, Vivian Bercovici joins Ellin Bessner to provide an on-the-ground report from the Holy Land. She explains why the deal allows Israel to stay true to its founding promise that it will leave no one behind—despite the cost.

What we talked about:

• Read more about Iris Weinstein Haggai’s campaign to have the body of her Canadian-raised mother, Judih Weinstein Haggai, returned from Gaza, in The CJN.
• Hear the families of Canadian hostages (or victims) of Oct. 7come to Ottawa to lobby Canadian lawmakers to secure their release from Hamas, on The CJN Daily.
• Toronto resident Mayan Shavit opens up about the murder of her cousin Carmel Gat in Sept. 2024, a hostage held by Hamas in captivity in Gaza, on The CJN Daily.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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