“In a way, Hamas is winning,” analyzes General Dominique Trinquand

An agreement was officially approved on Wednesday between the Israeli government and Hamas for the release of 50 hostages held by the Islamist movement, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, as well as for a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip.

“In a way, Hamas is winning in this truce”, analyzed Wednesday November 22 on franceinfo General Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission to the UN in New York after an agreement was officially approved between the Israeli government and Hamas for a four-day truce in the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of 50 hostages in the hands of the Islamist movement, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on television that “This war continues until we achieve all our objectives: recover our hostages and destroy Hamas”.

franceinfo: What are the consequences of the truce from a military point of view?

Dominique Trinquand: From a military point of view, this truce which was imposed on Israel, imposed by the international community – the Americans, the Europeans in particular – but also by the situation on the ground, will lead the IDF to stop its fighting for four days , even if it is extended. This means stopping the fighting. This means stopping observing what Hamas does. So, in a way, Hamas is winning in this truce.

“Hamas has been under very strong pressure from the Israeli army and now, this pressure will stop and will allow it to reorganize.”

Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission

at franceinfo

This will be the first significant change that will occur through the implementation of this truce. We will have to review how it will be applied. Because truces are always complicated. There are always people who do not want to apply them. We will see that in the next 48 hours.

Hamas fighters can take advantage of this truce to reorganize. Can they also take advantage of this to escape?

Hamas will use this truce to be able to evacuate areas in which they are. This will not happen easily. Currently, among the elements of the truce, there is in particular the fact that Israel will no longer use drones and aviation. This won’t stop the soldiers on the ground from watching what’s happening.

“But as to respect the truce, they will not be able to shoot, we risk having a greater flight towards the South. So this will completely change the physiognomy of the rest of the war for the IDF.”

Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission

at franceinfo

Will this complicate the continuation of the Israeli offensive?

A terrorist movement like Hamas, its interest is to strike and disappear. So today his interest is not to collide head-on with the Israeli army, which is far too powerful for him, but it is to disappear in order to prepare for other subsequent actions. This is what is likely to happen in the days to come.

The agreement concerns the release of 50 hostages. Should we be worried about the lives of the other hostages? There are 240 in total.

This means that there are approximately 200 hostages who are not included in this agreement. But in the agreement, there is the possibility of extension, at the rate of ten hostages per day. But when you count it over ten days, the count isn’t there. There are not all the hostages. Second point, we do not know, among the hostages, those who are still alive.

Hamas has already announced that there were four hostages who were killed by the Israelis, they say, by the bombings, but it is not completely impossible. So today, the problem is not completely resolved. So we must hope that this truce is an open door for an extension and to be able to free more hostages.