Quotes
People are longing for an end to this war. To go back to their homes to see what's left of it. Children I speak to tell me that they long to sleep in their beds. They want their bedrooms, they want to see what's left of it. So everyone is very desperate and hopeful,
A complex decision — the price of the deal is very high, but we have a supreme moral obligation to bring our brothers and sisters home,
It's important for me to make it clear — we are not moving away from the goals of the war, no matter how long it takes — the return of all our hostages home, the collapse of the Hamas regime and the assurance that Gaza will not pose a threat to the State of Israel,
It is important that the first steps are taken successfully and that all those who bear responsibility then remain on this path,
With all my heart, I embrace the families of the hostages, especially those who know that their loved ones will not return in the first stage. We must bring everyone back. Everyone! We will not rest or relent until this happens,
Here in southern Gaza and Al-Mawasi, it doesn't really feel or sound like a ceasefire yet,
We call on all parties ... to take all steps to ensure that this agreement can now be implemented,
a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said I harbor no illusions — the deal will bring with it great challenges and painful, agonizing moments that we will need to overcome and face together."
Herzog also pointed to the challenges, writing We will hunt you down, we will find you and lock you up,
New South Wales state police minister Yasmin Catley said The government has approved the hostage return plan,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement, The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Major General Kobi Yakobi, instructed that... to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon and other areas of Israel, the escort from 'Shikma' Prison will not be handled by civilian buses of the [International Committee of the] Red Cross,
What we are seeing on our streets is totally un-Australian,
There is no other way to release the hostages, and from within Israeli society, that was very important,
the retired Major General said Many people don't like it, because it is clear that Israel is losing the ability to destroy Hamas, as we promised,
We are dealing with this deal [for] more than a year, and both sides tried to achieve the best deal for themselves,
retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Major General Yaakov Amidror said in a discussion with reporters Thursday afternoon Hamas is going to be able to claim that it survived,
The best deal is the one which was not achieved,
I hope it will happen so we'll be able to cook in our homes and make whatever food we want, without having to go to soup kitchens and exhaust ourselves for three or four hours trying to get (food) - sometimes not even making it home,
displaced Palestinian Reeham Sheikh al-Eid said No one can promise that Hamas will keep its word and execute the second stage,
Amos Harel, a military affairs columnist for the Israeli paper Haaretz, wrote on Friday We are against a deal like this. I’m not demonstrating against the families but against the government. It’s forbidden for a country to be run by the emotions of families. The families have the right to do whatever they think will bring their family members, but as a country, we can’t put in danger the security of the whole state.”
