It is now Sunday AM as I write this. There have been two groups of hostages released. That includes 26 Israeli women and children. At the same time Hamas has released an additional 17 Thai workers and one Filipino (not part of the agreement, unconditionally, and whom should have been freed long ago). And, as anticipated, Hamas has invented ways to delay the exchange. More such delays can be expected. In parallel, there are large (orchestrated) demonstrations calling for the pause in fighting to become a permanent cease-fire. If that demand gets enough support to become a reality it would be a major victory for Hamas. I wonder if that was part of their initial intent.
South of Yemen, an Israeli owned merchant ship was attacked by drone aircraft. Using drones makes it a little harder to know the real identity of the attacker. I suspect the drones are Iranian products, but that it is unlikely they actually flew out of Iranian territory. If there is no response to the attack we can expect to see more of them. Justifying a military reaction has practical problems that are not simple. One thing that is clear, in order to be effective the response must be more than a little “slap on the wrist” bombing of an unmanned storage facility.
As things stand, the more hostages that are released, the less bargaining power Hamas still holds. What will they do if they cannot get a permanent truce?
In a completely different area, the US College Football season hit a climax with the face-off of Ohio State against Michigan on Friday. It met all the expectations as THE GAME of the season. Michigan won 30-24.
Wetherhorn 