Last week, dozens of coffins draped in Israeli flags were placed in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. They were part of a protest by Israelis advocating military victory rather than the current ceasefire and hostage agreement.

After some delays, the three-stage ceasefire deal went into effect this past Sunday morning. In the afternoon, the first three female hostages were released in exchange for 90 Palestinians, most of them women or minors, and several Palestinian children held under administrative detention in Israeli prisons. Four more female hostages are expected to be released on Saturday. 

But the deal has divided Israelis both for and against. 

The Israeli government, in particular Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has stated throughout the war that one of the main aims of military operations was to remove Hamas from power in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, the militant group launched a large-scale terror attack on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping nearly 250 more, triggering the war in Gaza.

Now, 15 months later, compromises reached in Doha, where the deal was brokered by representatives of Qatar, Egypt and both US administrations, have raised hopes that at least some of the 97 hostages who remain in Hamas' hands could soon return home. 

Some Israelis argue the deal is a reward for Hamas' violent tactics

Those opposed to the deal see it as a capitulation to Hamas and a reward for their violent tactics. According to a January poll by Israeli daily Ma'ariv, 19% of Israelis are against the ceasefire deal with Hamas, which includes the return of those hostages still held in Gaza.

One of them is Avi, who cannot be named as he is an active-duty soldier. While Avi says his heart goes out to the hostages and their families, he believes defeating Hamas is much more important. "Society accepts victims and people getting injured a lot more easily than it does hostages," he told DW, adding that in his opinion Israeli society needs to hold a debate on the price it is willing to pay for hostages' freedom.

Ariel is a Tel Aviv lawyer who wishes not to be named. He, too, objects to the deal. "Many of the released prisoners will return to terrorism, which will cost more Israeli lives, I think," he says, adding that such deals encourage militant groups to take more hostages as a means to achieve their goals. "Hamas has a murderous ideology, which it will continue to pursue as long as it has the territory for it."

Majority want to end the war and bring hostages home

However, according to a poll released by the Israel Democracy Institute in January, a majority of around 57.5% Israelis support a comprehensive deal for the release of all hostages in return for an end to the war in Gaza.

Some of them can be found at weekly Saturday night protests in Jerusalem. On the eve of the ceasefire, the atmosphere was solemn and slightly anxious. There was a sense that while the agreement was not perfect, there was at least a glimmer of hope that it might bring the hostages home. Eshel has been at almost every Saturday night protest, calling on the government to release the hostages. "We just have to hope for the best. And that it will last for the second phase."

Far-right hardliners threaten to topple government if war isn't resumed

It is only in the second phase that the remaining 64 hostages will be released. But this phase will have to be negotiated between the two sides from day 16 of the temporary ceasefire, with the aim of negotiating a permanent ceasefire.

Still, within Israel's far-right religious Cabinet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) has already made it clear that he will leave the government if the war to dismantle Hamas doesn't resume. Itamar Ben Gvir, until Sunday minister of national security, resigned with his ultra-nationalist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party and vowed only to return if the war resumes. 

"Netanyahu refuses to understand what every single Israeli understands: this deal comes with a price. The price is high. A national leader needs to admit to the price and cope with it," Israeli commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth this week, referring to the prime minister's coalition partners. Supporters of the deal have long accused Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges, of delaying any agreement to ensure his own political survival and keep his coalition intact.  

Netanyahu's political calculus unfathomable to those who want hostages returned

After the first three hostages reached Israeli territory, Prime Minister Netanyahu released a statement saying, "The entire nation embraces you, welcome home." 

"The entire nation embraced them Netanyahu, but not the entire government," wrote Israeli journalist Sima Kadmon a day after the three women were released. "We know how many months they remained there needlessly because of your hesitation, quashing, procrastination and cowardice, and because you capitulated to the threats made by Ben Gvir, who has since explicitly said how he successfully delayed a hostage deal for months for political reasons."

It is unclear whether Netanyahu's coalition will collapse over the second stage of the agreement, but it could be the beginning of the end in the long run. If Smotrich leaves the government, the opposition parties have offered a safety net to prop up the government for the duration of the phased deal. After that, however, elections could be in the offing. 

For those in favor of the agreement, Netanyahu's political calculus is hard to fathom. Michael, who was also at the Saturday protest, is close to the Horn family, whose two sons, Yair and Eitan, are hostages. Only one of them is on the list of hostages to be released in the first phase.

"That's what we're scared about. I think that's the next political struggle," Michael told DW. "We have to protest for them to go all the way into a deal and to bring them all home, and to respect all the agreements. Because if it doesn't happen, some of the hostages will be left behind."

Edited by: Jon Shelton