Israel is making the right decision to delay the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages released by Hamas this week, but the choice was a difficult one, retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt said Sunday on Newsmax.
"No one should kid themselves about the difficulty of decisions that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and the Israelis have to make now," said Holt on Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "Hamas is a bunch of bloodthirsty terrorists. They are not partners who negotiate in good faith."
Netanyahu said Saturday that he is delaying the release of the 600 Palestinian prisoners, citing “Hamas’s repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes."
Netanyahu also said that he would not free Palestinian prisoners and detainees “until the release of the next hostages has been assured and without the humiliating ceremonies.”
"I wouldn't fault the Israelis either way if they just cut it here and, and went back on the military foot because we don't know what Hamas has the ability to do next in terms of delivery of hostages," said Holt. "But we understand that giving up 600 more terrorists comes with a peril of its own."
Former Israel Defense Forces Staff Sgt. Jonny Daniels, also on Sunday's show, said it will be "incredibly difficult" for Israel and Hamas to move on to the second phase of its ceasefire, which calls for the demilitarization of Hamas.
"We're going to have to see these savages put their guns down, which is something that's going to be tricky and unlikely to see," Daniels said."We're more likely to see a continuation of phase one, and only time will tell.
"Look, at the end of the day, you know you're attempting to make a deal with the devil, quite literally. So any kind of deal is going to be a bad deal. We are aware of that. However, we can't forget that there still are living hostages being held by these savages, and every single one of them needs to come home."
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said he will reimpose maximum sanctions on Iran, which in turn has threatened to wipe out Israel.
But Iran, Holt said, has no leverage.
"Their air defenses were almost completely erased by Israel," he said. "Do they have military capability? Yes. Do they have money? Still? Yes. But President Trump is going to bankrupt them. They know this, and they also understand their stature is coming down."
Iran is also cutting deals with Turkey to keep supply chains open, but Trump won't let that stand for long, said Holt.
"These things will get addressed but the Ayatollah should be much, much more concerned about the Iranian people who have had it with him," he added. "They understand where the weakness lies, in Tehran."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.