The IDF’s rescue of Pvt. Ori Megidish on Sunday night was a ray of light amid heavy darkness.
And judging by the joyous reaction to her release it is a badly needed ray of light – one that many Israelis wanted to bask in, if only momentarily.
The complicated rescue was a reminder that despite the catastrophic intelligence and operational failures of October 7, Israel has not lost its ability to operate on accurate intelligence information with precision and daring inside the Gaza Strip.
This rescue operation not only provides a substantial morale boost for the army and the country, but also sends a message to Hamas regarding Israel’s capabilities.
It also punches a small hole into what Hamas wants Israelis to believe, which is the only way to secure the hostages’ release is by giving in to the terrorists’ demands. This successful rescue operation, the first Israel has carried out in two decades, shows there are other ways.
But this mission, the details of which have wisely been hidden from the public so as not to give the enemy any operational intelligence, is still a drop in the bucket. True, it is a ray of light, but it is just that.
That flood of sunshine will come when Israel secures the release of all hostages, either through diplomatic channels or through military operations.
But we are not there yet.
The national delight at the soldier’s rescue and the joy of her family is tempered by the heartbreaking knowledge that there are some 240 other hostages – babies, children, women, men, elderly people – still being held captive, while their families are going through torture.
Though it is only natural to hope and pray that Megidish’s rescue will be the first of many other bold actions to bring the hostages home, it is important not to raise unrealistic expectations; doing so could only lead to more heartbreak.
An unprecedented situation
Gaza is not the Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The hostages are not being held together in one room but are undoubtedly spread throughout the Gaza Strip and apparently being held by more than one organization. Having special forces reach them all is a very tall order.
This is why, in parallel, Israel needs to continue working the diplomatic track through Qatar to explore possible deals.
Yes, through Qatar, even though that country is playing a duplicitous game, acting as both arsonist and firefighter – arsonist in having been one of Hamas’s main financial and diplomatic backers for years, and firefighter in now offering their “good offices” by delivering messages to and from the terrorist organization.
But, as former Mossad head Yossi Cohen told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, there is no one else in a position to do this.
Cohen, who was in Qatar over the weekend with current Mossad chief David Barnea, said that while the country does not have real leverage over Hamas – only Iran has true leverage over the terrorist organization – the Qataris can “push” Hamas.
Understandably, some of the hostages’ families have expressed concern that the type of IDF ground incursion currently underway inside the Gaza Strip might endanger their loved ones.
The government’s position, however, is that the ground incursion will place heavy pressure on Hamas – the only language it understands. As Hamas’s losses mount, goes the argument, it will be more willing to make a deal.The ground incursion, meanwhile, may achieve something else as well: enable the gathering of real-time intelligence to create opportunities for the military to rescue more hostages.
Israel has rightly stated the release of the hostages as one of the main objectives of this war, along with destroying Hamas’s military capabilities and toppling it from power.
Just as the goal of defeating Hamas will be achieved through a multi-pronged approach combining overwhelming air power with boots on the ground and cunning guerilla-style warfare, so too will the release of the hostages demand a multi-pronged approach that includes military pressure, negotiations through Qatar, and – as the Megidish rescue demonstrates – commando rescue operations as well.