Israeli opposition leader calls for hostage swap deal with Hamas, even ‘if it’s bad’

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called Thursday for reaching a hostage swap agreement with Hamas, even “if it’s a bad deal.”

“An immediate deal must be concluded, even if it is bad,” Lapid told the Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

The opposition leader argued that Israeli hostages die in Hamas’ captivity with the passage of every day.

“This is not a deal on a car, it [hostage swap deal] must be reached as soon as possible,” he added.

"This deal will be bad, we have to realize that, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do the most difficult and painful thing,” Lapid said.

Hamas, which is believed to be holding nearly 130 Israeli hostages, demands an end to Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal with Tel Aviv.

A previous deal in November 2023 saw the release of 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 74,200 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 167th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in January issued an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar