The Day After the War Ends

The images of the Palestinian prisoners’ release is emblematic of the problem Israel faces, in both the occupied West Bank and in Gaza.
The images of the Palestinian prisoners’ release is emblematic of the problem Israel faces, in both the occupied West Bank and in Gaza. Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard/Getty Images
Julia Ioffe
November 29, 2023

In the last week, Hamas has released 51 Israeli hostages and 18 foreign nationals from captivity in exchange for 150 Palestinians from Israeli jails. A new tranche—12 Hamas hostages for 30 Palestinians—is being exchanged as I write this, and negotiations for extending the ceasefire by another two days are in progress.