Retired Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told Newsmax on Monday that any Palestinian prisoners Israel frees as part of a final hostage deal won't remain in Gaza. They'll be deported.
Where they go is a key part of negotiations.
Avivi, chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, likened the endgame to past conflicts in which leaders and fighters left territory rather than remain.
"I remember at the end of the first Lebanese war … [Yasser] Arafat took his people, took them on ships, and they left Lebanon altogether," he said. "This is what's going to happen now with Hamas and also with the prisoners. … They are not going to stay in the land of Israel, not in Gaza, and not anywhere else. I believe that they are going to be deported."
Avivi told "National Report" that the deportation question — and the destination countries — is part of the bargaining chip that will secure the release of the remaining 48 hostages.
"A part of the negotiations is where they will go," he said, arguing that a total release would amount to an "unconditional surrender of Hamas," after which Israel would offer a safe corridor to remove fighters and selected prisoners from Gaza. He named Qatar and Turkey as parties involved in brokering and housing elements of a deal.
Avivi framed the choice facing Hamas as stark: face near-total eradication inside Gaza or lay down arms and accept removal from the Strip — but only after turning over all hostages.
"They face only two choices. It's either they're going to be completely eradicated in Gaza, or they will get a chance to lay down their weapons and get out, providing that first they give us all 48 hostages," he said.
While Avivi presented deportation as a likely outcome, Israeli officials have been cautious in public, and reporting has shown a range of options under discussion — from prisoner returns to the Palestinian territories to exile abroad. Some released inmates in earlier exchanges have already been sent abroad.
Avivi's comments underscore the high stakes of the final hostage negotiations: for Israel, closure and dismantling Hamas' command; for mediators and regional states, finding a politically acceptable destination for those removed from Gaza.
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