Herzog: Ceasefire Approval Vital to Bring Hostages Home

President Isaac Herzog urged the Cabinet to endorse the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas late Wednesday. In light of the country's failure to prevent the attacks of October 7, Herzog insisted on the state of affairs that Israel has to rectify. He assured Prime Minister Netanyahu of his full support in their negotiations, and he urged the Cabinet and the Israeli government to approve it when received so that saving the lives of all hostages can become an immediate priority.

"This is the moral thing to do, the important thing to do, and the necessary thing to do," Herzog said. "There is no other moral, human, Jewish, or Israeli obligation than to bring our sons and daughters back to us-whether to recover at home, or to be laid to rest."

Herzog acknowledged the hard journey ahead and remarked that the finalization of the deal would be accompanied by hard times and deep challenges: "This is not an easy situation; it is amongst the most formidable challenges we have ever faced," he said.

Despite these obstacles, Herzog said he believes in the strength of Israeli society himself, as he insisted that bringing back the hostages must be a powerful message: "We save them. We free them. We bring them home forthwith, down to the last one."

He also emphasized the heavy toll on the lives of Israeli soldiers since October 7, stating that Israel was already given an opportunity with great effort, on the battlefield and diplomatically. "The Jewish people have an open, bleeding wound that can only heal when all our sisters and brothers come back home," Herzog said.

The divisive issue still on the negotiation table, however, is the phased release of those retaining hostages. The agreement currently entails the release of 33 hostages, some of whom are women, children, the elderly, and the sick. If the ceasefire holds, the negotiations for the real return of the remaining hostages will be under way in the second phase, however, the critics have said that this group can remain hostages indefinitely.

At least 1,200 people were killed in the attacks on October 7, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage. More than 30 of the 95 hostages currently held have been declared dead. Hamas has been holding two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.