Prisoners-Hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas is not a recently developed way out

Ongoing Israel-Hamas war was halted for few days while exchanging prisoners and hostages. After seven weeks of Israeli bombardments, Gaza people were given break for exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli Jail in return of Hamas captives. The exchange operation begin when Hamas leader agreed to release captives in return of every prisoner in Israel jail. Quoted by Al Jazeera, ‘On October 7th, Hamas took more than 200 captives in Israel. Yahya Sinwar the leader of Hamas in Gaza, has said he’s willing to release them all, but only in exchange for every Palestinian in Israeli custody- or over 10,000 prisoners.’ The deal was brokered by Qatar with the help of Egypt and United States.
But right after the process, Israel is accused of restarting bombardments. According to BBC, Israel resumes strikes in Gaza after ceasefire ends. The war is about to enter its third month with extreme repercussions like mass destruction, displacement, and demolished infrastructure. Israel is blamed for committing genocide by various organizations, individuals, human right defenders, however country is calling it a defensive approach towards Hamas violent action. Both the countries have intertwined history and social media users are bringing the information out to support each country.
A comment done by an expert in International Relations said, ‘Prisoner exchange is not new and have been witnessed in past years when such situations appear. Particularly, in the context of this case, there have been instances when Palestinians were freed from Israeli custody in return of soldiers held captive by Palestine Liberation Organization. Then later, the process was followed when number of Arab prisoners were released in return of Israeli soldiers by the same organization. So, it is not a unique concept for both the countries as they have been involved in such engagements.’ Surbhi Iyer has done her expertise in Middle East region politics and terrorism. She further said, ‘There is a pattern that is followed by this terrorist group. If you look into it, the group has successfully dealt in exchanging prisoners for hostages. It has played a role in getting prisoners released. Israel since very beginning is called out for its invading approach in Gaza and the group has taken stand for Palestinians against the country, but a violent one.’
People in support of Gaza and Palestinians are constantly vocal about 7th October 2023 to not call it, a sudden attack. A Palestinian intellectual, academic and writer Dr. Azmi Bishara shared his opinion at The New Arab. In his piece of writing he mentioned, ‘For two decades, Gazzans have received no quarter, living with a crippling siege and frequent Israeli onslaughts, and today, they are being subjected to cruelty no human is able to tolerate. The combined astonishment and outpouring of emotion since the shock events of 7 October, which challenged Israeli arrogance and Arab frustrations, make it difficult to write dispassionately about the ‘Al Aqsa Flood’ operation and the ensuing onslaught against Gaza. Without a doubt, this day will be remembered by the younger generation, and will alter their perception both of the occupier’s supremacy and of the dignity of the victims of the occupation as well as the possibilities for resistance against occupation.’
Prisoner exchange between United Sates and Russia, North Korea and United States are some of the examples where US managed to freed its citizens from being detained abroad. Surbhi told EAT news, the prisoner swap is a kind of diplomacy that is adopted among states when options are limited. ‘We don’t see it often among states because it is not something they opt for at the very beginning. But when the negotiations reach no concrete point, these are what nations go for. Also, mainly such deal takes place during conflicts and is suggested by the one who oppose it. Usually, individuals such as prisoners of war, spies, hostages and even sometimes dead bodies are also exchanged under this process’, she said.
United States has been a major mediator in these situations because of its position in regards to the process. On asking what impact US has over similar deals among nations, expert Surbhi mentioned its authority in the matter. ‘The United States Department of Justice administers the program but the United States Department of State is the principal negotiator of all prisoner transfer treaties, as per clearly stated on US department website’, she said. But every country who is primarily involved in this process and whose prisoners are being talked in return to, have the major role in this and their decisions are considered supreme. Whereas United States is standardly reflected as one of the mediators every time it takes place, she added.
Since Israel has started bombarding the Gaza city again, more than 175 have bene wounded so far, reported by Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, the visuals of children celebrating ceasefire circulated online, and conveyed the desperate need of the action.