Why Hamas Agreed to Release the Hostages

"That war, which began two years ago with the Hamas attacks of October 7th, and the killing of twelve hundred people, was followed by Israel's bombardment and occupation of the Gaza Strip, and the killing of nearly seventy thousand Palestinians. (A United Nations commission recently labeled Israel's war a genocide.) The initial phases of the agreement, which President Trump announced on Wednesday, will likely include a release of the remaining Israeli hostages"

"Late on Wednesday night, I spoke by phone with Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and an expert on the Middle East, about the contours of the deal and what will come next. (Elgindy is also the author of the book "Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump.") During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity,"

A phased ceasefire is set to begin, including release of remaining Israeli hostages, release of Palestinians held by Israel, a pullback of Israeli troops from Gaza, and a large surge of food and medicine. The war began after Hamas's October 7 attacks that killed roughly 1,200 people and was followed by Israel's bombardment and occupation of Gaza, with nearly 70,000 Palestinian deaths and a U.N. commission labeling the campaign a genocide. Donald Trump's intervention pushed Israeli leadership toward the deal. Short-term humanitarian relief and hostage returns are likely, while lasting political resolution and Palestinian statehood remain uncertain.

Read at The New Yorker