Ireland’s Tanaiste Micheal Martin (L) shakes hands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Cairo. November 15, 2023 (AFP)

EA on France 24: Why Israel’s Mass Killing Threatens Hamas’s Hostages in Gaza

With Ireland’s Tanaiste — Deputy Prime Minister and Defense and Foreign Minister — Micheál Martin visiting Egypt, Israel, and Palestine, I joined RTE Radio 1 on Wednesday to evaluate if the trip will have any effect on Israeli bombing and ground assaults in Gaza.

Listen to Discussion from 13:40

I consider the possible objectives, beginning with getting Irish foreign nationals out of the besieged territory and continuing with hopes for a hostage release, humanitarian aid, and peacekeeping if and when Israel and Gaza’s Hamas curb their operations.

I also evaluate a clue that Israel’s leadership may believe it has a three-week window to complete military operations, amid international pressure for a humanitarian pause.

It will be a question of whether Israel’s War Cabinet thinks, “We can’t risk our remaining links in the international community”, or whether it presses on — irrespective of the cost — with its effort to “destroy” Hamas.