Itamar Marcus, an Israeli researcher and the founder and director of the Palestinian Media Watch organization, spoke in an interview with Arutz Sheva about the mystery behind Hamas’s decision to hand over all the living hostages to Israel in a single initial phase—seemingly against all logic and predictions that they would hold on to at least several hostages as bargaining chips.

“It was a major mystery when it happened, but if you follow the developments since then, you see something very disturbing that may explain it,” Marcus said.

“The central element that the U.S. promised Turkey and Qatar regarding Gaza’s future was that if they convince Hamas to release the hostages, they’ll receive a key role in managing the Strip and choosing its leadership. We’re seeing that play out before our eyes now.”

“We all celebrated the release of the living hostages, and afterward, Hamas began delaying the return of the bodies. We didn’t understand why, but now it’s clear they’re doing it slowly because the longer it takes, the stronger they become. They know Israel can’t launch attacks—both because of American constraints and because of expectations for the hostages. Meanwhile, they’re entrenching themselves with the administrative backing of Turkey and Qatar—two countries that have supported Hamas for years—and now they’ve entered through the front door.”

“Turkey is a NATO member, and Qatar recently signed a defense agreement with the U.S. The U.S. has an interest in advancing Turkey. I think the Americans don’t really understand them; they trust what’s promised to them behind closed doors and want to give them a role in exchange for advancing this ‘Trump project.’ I believe this poses a major danger to Israel.”

When asked whether he accepts Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim that any force entering Gaza will need Israel’s approval, Marcus pointed out that “even now, there are already 200 American soldiers in Israel, alongside Jordanians and Germans, all operating from a joint command center managing what’s happening in Gaza. All this is happening because President Trump—after staging his grand show and indeed doing something positive by securing the release of the hostages—is now the one running the show.”

“Did we know there would be so many foreign troops here?” Marcus continued. “He sent Vance and now Marco Rubio to make sure we don’t act against his wishes. If the U.S. decides that Qatar and Turkey should stabilize the situation in Gaza, it’ll be very difficult for us to act. We’ve seen how he punishes countries, how he treated Zelensky—it’s not just withholding arms; he can instantly raise import tariffs if he doesn’t like what we’re doing.”

Marcus concluded with a warning: “Trump very much wants to be the one who brings peace, and if that means deploying soldiers or advisors from Turkey or Qatar, it will be very difficult for Israel to say no.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)