Israelis Find Respite in Rescue But War’s Challenges Endure
- The complex operation showed military’s strengths and limits
- Euphoria over freed hostages will increase pressure for a deal
Israelis celebrate hostages freed in an IDF operation.
Photographer: Kobi Wolf/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
They danced in the streets and cheered on the beaches as TV anchors teared up on camera. Saturday’s rescue of four hostages from central Gaza was a cause for rare and intense celebration in Israel, boosting Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the beleaguered military eight months into a punishing war.
But it also highlighted operational limitations and a growing desire for a hostage deal, ultimately increasing pressure on the prime minister. Military spokesmen said the conditions for such a rescue — the four had been held in buildings aboveground rather than in tunnels — don’t exist for the other 100-plus Israelis held by Hamas, and the way to bring them home is through negotiation.