14 Days: Hostage deal

HOSTAGE DEAL 

The Israeli government approved an agreement enabling the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza early on November 22. The first stage of the deal called for 50 hostages – women and children – to be released over four days, during a pause in the war, while Israel committed to freeing 150 Palestinian women and minors jailed for security-related offenses. The release of every additional 10 hostages would result in one more day in the pause. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Minister Benny Gantz all vowed that after implementation of the deal, the IDF would continue its war in Gaza. The vote was 35-3, with only ministers from Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit opposing the deal, which was mediated by Qatar with Egyptian and US support.

GAZA WAR 

As Israel paused its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, after killing hundreds of terrorists and their commanders, the army announced that the IDF death toll in the month since the ground invasion began on October 27 had gone up to 69. The IDF released surveillance video from Gaza’s Shifa Hospital showing terrorists bringing in a Nepali and a Thai citizen abducted from Israel on October 7, and retrieved the body of abducted soldier Noa Marciano, who was murdered by Hamas. It also exposed an underground network of tunnels and bunkers under the hospital. The families of Canadian-born peace activist Vivian Silver, 74, and Shani Gabay, 25, from Yokneam were informed by the IDF that their remains had been identified, and they had not been taken hostage as originally thought but murdered on the day of the October 7 massacre. 

HIJACKED SHIP 

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said on November 19 that they had hijacked an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea, while Israel blamed Iran for the incident and denied the vessel was Israeli. The Houtis seized the Galaxy Leader, with 25 crew members aboard, sailing from Turkey to India, and took it to a port in Yemen. A week later, Houthi rebels seized what was alleged to be another Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea, and took its 25 crew members hostage. “All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets,” they warned.

DC RALLY 

Some 300,000 people participated in the March for Israel rally, the largest demonstration in support of Israel in the history of the United States, at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on November 14, while another 250,000 watched the event via a live-stream. During more than three hours of speeches, a range of politicians and Jewish leaders, actors and musicians, activists and college students presented a united front in support of Israel, demanded the release of the hostages, and decried the rise of antisemitism around the world. In a live feed from the Western Wall, President Isaac Herzog declared, “We will heal, we will rise again, and we will rebuild.” 

BANK CHIEF 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed on November 21 to extend the tenure of Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron for another five-year term. The Bank of Israel confirmed that Yaron accepted the offer, which was approved by the cabinet. “We have many important tasks ahead of us in the economic sector, and I will do everything in my power so that we meet them successfully and professionally for the benefit of the economy and the country,” Yaron said in a statement.

MCCAIN AWARD 

The Israeli organization Brothers in Arms received the Halifax International Security Forum’s John McCain Award on November 18. The award is granted to “individuals from any country who demonstrate exceptional leadership in their struggle for justice,” citing the organization’s quick mobilization and transition from protest against judicial reform to war against Hamas.

JERUSALEM BIENNALE 

Due to the war against Hamas, director Rami Ozeri postponed the sixth Jerusalem Biennale, the largest platform in the world for Israeli and Jewish art, which was scheduled to open November 9 with some 36 exhibitions in 22 venues around the capital. Instead, some artists and curators have mounted exhibitions in their home cities, such as New York, Casale Monferrato, Italy, and Buenos Aires. AMIA in Buenos Aires, the site of the worst terrorist attack in Argentina in 1994, is showcasing “And These Are the Names,” a tribute to the victims of the Hamas massacre that demands the return of all the hostages.