Via Joseph Krauss in apnews.com: Israel can point to countless tactical victories in the war, from the assassination of top Hamas leaders to the blows it rained on Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran itself, which backs both groups. But Israel fell short on two central aims: Hamas to date has survived, even if greatly weakened, and several hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack died in captivity. Some were accidentally killed by Israeli forces, others by their Hamas captors as troops closed in. Israelis see the return of captives as a sacred obligation, worth the agonizing price of releasing large numbers of imprisoned militants in lopsided deals. The inability to reach a deal through months of negotiations tore the country apart.
