The about 150 Israeli and foreign hostages held currently in Gaza remain a pivotal tool in determining the fate of the Israeli-Hamas war at a time when both sides have used the matter to raise the ceiling of their goals.
Israel refused to negotiate on the release of the hostages, and says it will continue the war until the captives are released unconditionally and without price.
In return, Hamas said it will not free the hostages until the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails – about 5,500 detainees.
At present, the number and identity of Israeli hostages in Gaza remain unclear.
Estimates say there are 150 hostages, 30 of them held by the Islamic Jihad, others held by Palestinian factions and the overwhelming majority by Hamas.
Eyewitnesses say the list of hostages include 10 Americans, several tourists from Britain, Russia and Germany and some workers from Thailand.
Their presence in Gaza certainly affects the decisions of war on both sides.
On the one hand, the governments of the hostages seek to secure their safe return back home, while the US administration is exerting pressure on both sides for their release.
Reports published in Washington said negotiations were underway with Hamas to secure a humanitarian exchange deal under which women, children and the sick would be freed in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners of war.
But Israeli officials prefer to use force and not negotiations to release the hostages. They do not want Hamas to register any victory or political achievement.
The Israelis are still in shock from Saturday’s attack by Hamas. The Israeli army is suffering from a serious crisis of confidence not only among local citizens and Palestinians, but in the world.
By using force instead of negotiations, Israeli leaders hope to erase the image of a weak army that was unable last Saturday to prevent the death of 800 Israelis by a small armed organization like Hamas and to protect 22 towns and a barrier that has cost $800 million.
Meanwhile, Hamas has already warned that the captured Israeli and foreign hostages are being held across the Gaza strip so it becomes harder for the Israelis to reach them and free them.
Hamas is seeking to benefit from the hostage file at the foreign level. It hopes that the governments of the captives would stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza and speed up a prisoner swap deal.
But at the same time, the Movement has failed to reveal any proper human treatment of the hostages that could attract foreign sympathy.
The photos and videos posted on social networks showed Hamas members beating prisoners, boasting that they had captured an elderly woman in a wheelchair and several children.
Although Israel is also killing and capturing Palestinians, Israeli authorities are using Hamas photos and videos with well-lubricated media campaigns against the group and the Palestinians.
The images caused outrage in the world against Hamas. But at the same time, they raised concerns for the lives of the foreign hostages, pushing several countries to start negotiations on a prisoner swap deal.
These countries, led by the United States, Britain and Germany and which have stood with Israel against Hamas from the very beginning of the war, expect the Israelis to return the favor and not to block any swap deal.
A military spokesman for the Qassam Brigades said that the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip on Monday night and Tuesday led to the death of four Israeli hostages. The reports jeopardize the lives of the rest of hostages and aggravate the relations of these countries not only with Hamas, but also with Israel.
Finally, if the Israelis decide to utilize the “Hannibal protocol”, an order that compels army units to do everything they can to recover an abducted comrade, its use with foreign hostages will lead Israel into a crisis.
