DAY 481 OF CAPTIVITY • DAY 11 OF THE CEASEFIRE: Three Israeli Hostages to be Released Tomorrow, Netanyahu’s Upcoming Washington Visit, Antisemitism In Australia

Tel Aviv Diary, January 29, 2025

Tension in Israel rose today as the country entered another 24-hour period anticipating the release of hostages. Earlier today, a Hamas spokesperson suggested that the release might be postponed, accusing Israel of obstructing aid shipments to Gaza. However, that accusation is a blatant lie. The existing agreement stipulates the delivery of 4,200 trucks of aid to Gaza weekly, and records show that more than 3,000 trucks have already been delivered in just the first four days of this week. It is unclear why Hamas made this claim—other than to intensify the psychological pressure on the Israeli public possibly.

Shortly after 4 PM, Hamas provided the names of hostages scheduled for release tomorrow: Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, and 80-year-old Gadi Mozes. The inclusion of Mozes came as a pleasant surprise, countering rumors had circulated of his demise. Alongside these three Israeli hostages, five Thai nationals are also set to be freed.

Now, all we can do is wait for tomorrow. Once Agam Berger is released, I anticipate we will learn more about the conditions under which the other tzatzpetaniyot (surveillance observation soldiers) were held captive.

Netanyahu’s Upcoming Visit to Washington, D.C.

On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington for a meeting with President Trump. Although I initially opposed the purchase of “Kanaf Tzion,” the official national aircraft, I must concede that its availability, at this moment, is fortunate—particularly as ELAL lacks any spare aircraft to lease for the Prime Minister's trip. The era when an Israeli Prime Minister would fly first class on a commercial airline are definitively long gone.

Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump, scheduled for Tuesday, is being characterized as a “bear hug” from Trump. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Trump administration is rapidly advancing a long-term strategy. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff was in Saudi Arabia yesterday, meeting with representatives from the Palestinian Authority to discuss their future role.

Two factors appear certain:

1. Trump will pressure Netanyahu to move forward with the second phase of the deal with Hamas, i.e., return of all the hostage in exchange for officially ending the war, with a complete IDF pull-out, and release of numerous terrorists from prison—a move that could be politically impossible without triggering new elections.

2. At the same time, it will be extremely difficult for Netanyahu to openly defy Trump—especially since there is little public support for resuming military operations without securing the release of all remaining hostages.

The far-right factions advocating for settlement expansion in Gaza are increasingly isolated, as the overwhelming political and public focus remains on securing the hostages’ return.

At yesterday's conference, there was another speaker whom I did not write about: Nadav Tamir, the Israeli representative of J-Street. Tamir was asked how he feels about Trump, who seems able to bring the war to an end, a feat Biden was unable to achieve. His response highlighted a clear dissonance. We find ourselves in an odd reality where President Trump might be viewed as a savior by the left-wing and center factions in Israel, yet remains a staunch adversary of those same groups in the United States.

NETANYAHU MEETS WITKOFF

Late this afternoon, Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Trump’s representative Steve Witkoff, following his visit in Gaza earlier in the day. Israelis present at the extended meeting came away with the impression that the Trump Administration is earnestly seeking a solution to relocate some Gazans

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ABSOLUTELY NO PALESTINIANS TO EGYPT?

President Sisi of Egypt responded to President Trump, making it unequivocally clear that under no circumstances would he permit Palestinians to immigrate to Egypt. However Trump is not giving up— asserting, “Who knows. I’m sure there are some Gazans who will be happy to leave.”

Many Arab commentators assert that the concept of "samud," or staying one's course, would deter most Gazans from wanting to leave. I am somewhat skeptical, as I believe that some significant number of Gazans would want to leave. Gazan’s dream of returning to a pre-state Palestine, a place that no longer exists and not staying in Gaza. The main issue, however, is that they are unwelcome elsewhere.

DON’T BELIEVE EVERY STORY

It should noted that Hamas’s claim about insufficient trucks entering Gaza is not the only instance of misinformation—so too is the absurd story alleged by the White House that $50 million in U.S. taxpayer funds was earmarked by the Biden Administration to purchase condoms to be sent to Gaza. The exact origin of the story is unclear, but the most likely explanation is that as part of $50 million medical aid package to Gaza, some condoms were included. That being said, it makes much better headlines to declare that the new Administration stopped $50 million of condoms from going to Gaza than $50 million in medical aid.

AMIT SOUSSANA

Amit Soussana, who was released in the initial hostage deal at the end of 2023, gave a comprehensive interview with the Israeli program “Uvda,” which aired last night. It was her most detailed interview to date, in which she candidly discussed the horrors she endured during her captivity. Soussana, aged 40, was held captive for three weeks. Her interview offered a glimpse into the ordeal our soldiers still in captivity are facing and underscored the urgent necessity of securing their immediate release.

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TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Bezek released an interesting study which found that 86% of Israelis are unable to distinguish between fake and true news on the internet.

73% of youth reported having seen fake information on the hostages

50% of Israelis sought psychological help online

84% of Israeli decreased their online purchases this past year

20% of Israelis do not carry their wallets, rather rely on the digital wallet in their smartphones

ANTISEMITISM IN AUSTRALIA

Australian police announced on Wednesday they had thwarted a planned antisemitic terror attack after discovering an RV packed with explosives in Dural, a suburb northwest of Sydney. The vehicle, which had been left by the roadside for more than a month, contained explosives allegedly stolen from a mining site, with the capacity to generate a blast wave of 40 meters. Local media reported that a note found inside the van listed addresses of Jewish individuals and a synagogue, accompanied by antisemitic messages.