‘We’re at a very critical time’: former FBI negotiator on freeing hostages from Hamas – National | 24CA News
Hamas’s lethal Oct. 7 assault on Israel claimed the lives of roughly 1,400 folks.
Hamas initially appeared to have captured round 100 hostages, however that estimate has grown to round 200 –as has the variety of teams who could also be holding captives from the raid. Palestinian Islamic Jihad has claimed they’re additionally holding round 30 hostages captured in Israel.
Only two folks have been freed to this point.
A former FBI hostage negotiator says the important thing to getting hostages again safely is negotiating for every individual individually.
“There are [hostage-takers] that are doing this for political reasons. There are folks that are doing this… to hold them as human shields, or to try to get diplomatic concessions,” Phil Andrew instructed Mercedes Stepheson on The West Block.
“And each one of those [reasons] is going to reveal itself, if we’re careful in establishing the dialogue and engagement,” he stated.
He stated there are totally different causes for treating every negotiation – and every hostage – individually.
First, it might reinforce the captives’ humanity with the captors.
“I think probably, after three weeks of being held, the hostage taker started to identify or connect with the hostages in some way. And to the degree that we can remind people that these are human beings… that makes it a little more difficult to do… those horrible acts of violence that was committed against others.”
“One of the things that we saw in the release of (Judith Tai Raanan and daughter Natalie, the first two hostages freed is that) it was pitched as humanitarian reasons,” Andrew instructed Stephenson.
At this level, a couple of weeks into captivity, Andrew stated hostages are possible starting to expertise post-traumatic stress.
“The painful, traumatic experience of [their capture] is probably not something they’ve been able to even process,” he instructed Stephenson.
“But what we also see is that—that sometimes there is a connection, then, between the hostage and the hostage taker… that [the hostage-takers] really aren’t interested in causing continued pain and suffering.”
Secondly, he stated its doable captors took the hostages to a number of areas or had been taken by totally different teams with totally different targets – and that captors’ targets might change because the state of affairs evolves.
Andrew stated it’s necessary to have interaction hostage takers, particularly those who operate like a authorities like Hamas, on a number of fronts.
“This is where NGOs that might have influence, perhaps even organizations or entities where governments that we don’t necessarily see as partners, they may still have influence here and we have to open the dialogue and be open to any direction that that might—might go.”
American president Joe Biden thanked Qatar for its partnership after Hamas launched its first two hostages.
Hamas stated in a press release it was working with mediators “to close the case” of hostages if safety circumstances allow. The group added that it’s dedicated to mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and different international locations.
Qatar stated it could proceed its dialogue with Israel and Hamas in hopes of profitable the discharge of all hostages “with the ultimate aim of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace.”
“One of the things that we’re taught as journalists when we’re being trained if you’re ever taken hostage, is that the most dangerous time for a hostage is actually during a potential attempt at a rescue because you could either be killed by your hostage taker or inadvertently by the people trying to save you,” Stephenson stated.
“How realistic do you think it is that (Israel and other countries) could rescue some of these hostages?” she requested Andrew.
“They are very risky. They’re not only risky to the hostages, but they’re risky to the operators,” Andrew replied
“So that… is all the more reason that we move methodically. We take the time to gather the information, to exhaust all the less dangerous ways, and recognize that the release of two (hostages) should give us hope that there’s potential for more folks being released.”
With information from Reuters and the Associated Press.
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