Part 4/9:
The hostage situation is at the heart of the recent escalations and has been a significant barrier to reaching a ceasefire sooner. For Israel, recovering hostages taken during the conflict was paramount; yet this created a paradox. As hostages were released, Israeli military operations could proceed without the concern for their safety, thus making significant exchanges problematic. This delicate balance necessitated time for Israel to build up sufficient leverage—capturing Hamas militants to facilitate a swap of prisoners—necessary to negotiate their way out of the conflict.