Hamas carried out another hostage release on February 1, in which they released Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon, and Yarden Bibas. This comes two days after it released Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, and Gadi Moses, along with five Thai nationals, Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakhan, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak.
The hostage releases have now become normalized. When they began on January 19, it was not clear how Hamas would organize the handovers.
The first handover of Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbacher was done in an open lot behind some destroyed buildings. There was a crowd of hundreds who pushed around the Red Cross vehicles. Hamas appeared to try to showcase that it was in control, but the first hostage release was not well organized by Hamas.
The next hostage release was much more choreographed. For Hamas, the release of the IDF women Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag was a major production.
They set up a stage and made it seem like a major official ceremony. They handed out bags with certificates and had the Red Cross come up on stage with the women soldiers.
Agam Berger was the fifth of this group of IDF women taken hostage on October 7 who had been held in Gaza. She was released several days later in a separate ceremony Hamas conducted in Jabaliya in northern Gaza.
Showcasing various aspects of Gaza
Hamas has shifted bit by bit during the hostage releases to try to showcase various aspects of Gaza. It has held events in different areas, such as Jabaliya and Khan Yunis, to showcase its increasing control as it returns to areas in Gaza. This is important for Hamas because when the ceasefire began, Hamas mostly controlled central Gaza, but it has much less control of northern Gaza and southern Gaza.
What is clear is that Hamas is using the period of the first phase of the ceasefire, around forty days, to rebuild itself.
It is distributing weapons and uniforms to its members. Some of these are commanders, but many of them are likely new recruits who were recruited during the war to replace losses.
Hamas is also showcasing its work with other groups in Gaza, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The overall goal for Hamas is to present itself as in control and able to project power again. This is important not just to show Israel but also to show Gazans. Hamas wants Gazans to know that it has the manpower and weaponry to re-assert itself in Gaza.
Hamas is aware that Israel may want to return to fighting in Gaza after the first phase of hostage releases. It also knows that the Trump administration has floated the idea of Gazans leaving Gaza during a period of reconstruction. Hamas doesn’t want this to happen and is using the hostage exchanges to showcase that it can handle things in Gaza.
Of some particular interest, Hamas is not seeking to showcase all the destruction and challenges it will face ruling Gaza. It wants to present a unified front and a sense of victory without mentioning the road ahead. Hamas is also slowly admitting some of its losses over the last fifteen months of fighting. However, the group is seeking to cover the faces of those involved in the hostage releases.
It is choreographing every aspect to try to showcase some of the rifles it captured on October 7. However, it doesn’t have a lot to showcase.
The group mostly consists of armed gunmen, but it has lost a lot of its arsenal. That is why it has to showcase its overall strength in numbers during these hostage exchanges, to make up for the fact it doesn’t have the arsenal it had on October 6, 2023.
