Israel marked 300 days on Thursday since the October 7 terror attack by Hamas, noting that over 100 hostages are still in captivity in Gaza, with perhaps half of them still thought to be alive.
The observance of the 300-day mark was a mournful note during a week that has been marked by celebrations at the death of Hezbollah’s second-in-command, Fu’ad Shukr (al-Hall Mohsin); and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Haniyeh, who died a billionaire, had been filmed celebrating the terror attacks on October 7 from the safety of his luxurious exile in Doha, Qatar.
His death could complicate hostage negotiations — or accelerate them, as it becomes clear that Hamas leaders’ only chance at survival is to free the hostages in exchange for asylum.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.