Families of Israeli captives fear Trump's Gaza plan could derail their release
The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza fear US President Donald Trump's plan to take control of the enclave and expel Palestinians to other countries could upend the ceasefire deal and derail any chances of their release.
Yehuda Cohen, the father of detained Israeli soldier Nimrod Cohen, told Middle East Eye that for him, and the families of other Israeli captives held in Gaza, there was a genuine concern that the president's plan could force Hamas to abandon the deal.
"Any discussion that creates controversy about the day after, let's leave that for later, because first of all, Hamas really might have fears about that and might stop the process," Cohen told MEE.
"Our terrible government... will exploit this for its narrow interests, to please [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich, and also actually once again, to prioritise an ideology that is very - let's call it racist - over its basic duty to secure the lives of Israeli civilians and soldiers."
Earlier this week, Trump, whilst speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said his administration would "take over" the enclave, relocate its inhabitants elsewhere and turn the territory into the "riviera of the Middle East."
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Trump reiterated his outlandish remarks on Thursday, saying that Palestinians from Gaza would be "resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities."
In an attempt to placate his "America First" base, he also said that no US soldiers would be sent to the Palestinian territory.
A senior Israeli government source told Haaretz that it was unclear how Hamas would respond to the announcement.
'Let all the hostages be released and let the ceasefire become a complete cessation of hostilities. After that, we can conduct a policy for the day after in Gaza'
- Yehuda Cohen, father of Hamas captive
"What interest does Hamas have in releasing all the hostages right now, knowing that its terms for ending the war won't be accepted," the source said.
According to Israel's channel 13, an overwhelming majority of Israelis have welcomed Trump's proposal, with a staggering 72 percent supporting the idea.
Cohen told MEE that whilst he personally disagreed with the proposal, the US should first try to free the remaining 42 Israelis that are still believed to be alive.
"Let's do this one stage at a time," he said.
"You [the US and Trump] have a policy about Gaza and the day after, that's your privilege, it's great, but let's first of all finish with freeing the hostages, finish the deal, and not allow any potential for failures, not from the Hamas side and not from our government’s side."
'Let's finish stage one'
The ceasefire in Gaza has brought much needed reprieve for the enclave's 2.3 million Palestinians, ending 15 months of war that has left tens of thousands dead, made most of the population homeless and pushed the entire region to the brink of war.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, 33 captives held by Hamas in Gaza are to be freed in the first six weeks of the truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom have been serving life sentences in Israel.
So far, 13 Israelis have been released along with five Thai workers, with three more Israelis expected to be released this Saturday.
About half of the 251 captives Hamas seized on 7 October 2023 were released in November 2023 during the only previous truce, and a handful have since been recovered dead or alive during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
More talks on the implementation of the second stage of the current truce, due to begin on 1 March, are meant to open the way to the release of more than 60 other captives, including men of military age, and a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
If that succeeds, a formal end to Israel’s war in Gaza could follow along with talks on the mammoth challenge of reconstructing the Palestinian enclave.
However, last week, Netanyahu held off sending a negotiating team for phase two of the talks, reportedly until he returned from Washington.
Speaking alongside Trump, Netanyahu vowed to continue the war until Hamas no longer holds sway in Gaza and to resume fighting, if necessary.
In repeated statements, Netanyahu laid out his three priorities for Gaza, with the hostages only coming in second.
"In Gaza, Israel has three goals: Destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, secure the release of all our hostages and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel," he said.
For Cohen, the most important statements from Trump remarks this week have been that he intends to complete the captive deal.
"All in all we are grateful and are pinning our hopes on Trump, and we will not criticise him, at least not directly. But we will say: Let's finish the first, second, and third stages," he said.
"Let all the hostages be released and let the ceasefire become a complete cessation of hostilities. After that, we can conduct a policy for the day after in Gaza, whether it's putting the Palestinian Authority in there, or Trump’s idea.
"Let him do as he likes, but first let's finish stage one, which is the release of all the hostages."
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