Israel isn’t sure what to do about the hostages in Gaza
Every option is fraught with danger
The deaths on December 15th of three Israeli hostages in Gaza, who were misidentified as members of Hamas and shot by Israeli soldiers, highlights how Israel’s dilemmas in reconciling its objectives in its war with Hamas are growing ever more acute. To the desperate families of the remaining hostages it seems clear that their loved ones may pay the ultimate price.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A dangerous muddle”
Middle East & Africa December 23rd 2023
- Attacks on shipping threaten to upend peace talks in Yemen
- Israel isn’t sure what to do about the hostages in Gaza
- The plight of Christians in Bethlehem and Jerusalem predates the latest Gaza war
- A supposed haven in Sudan falls to a genocidal militia
- For Congo’s next president, winning may be the easy part
More from Middle East & Africa
Three big lawsuits against Meta in Kenya may have global implications
One was prompted by the murder of an Ethiopian professor
Trump should try to end, not manage, the Middle East’s oldest conflicts
And he should see the region as more than a source of instability and arms deals
Government by social media in Somalia
Cheap data, social media and creativity are filling in for an absent state
The Gaza ceasefire is stoking violence in the West Bank
Hamas and the Israeli far right both want to destabilise the West Bank
How Turkey plans to expand its influence in the new Syria
Its influence could cause tensions with the Arab world—and Israel
The start of a fragile truce in Gaza offers relief and joy
But the ceasefire is not yet the end of the war