Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said Friday that Israel is entering a long-awaited period of healing after a U.S.-brokered agreement paved the way for hostages to return home, but she warned that peace with Hamas remains uncertain and fragile.
"It's an opportunity for me to thank President [Donald] Trump for the immense work and pressure that he's been putting on Hamas in order to reach this peace deal," Haskel said Friday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"Israel feels like it can breathe, finally, after two years," she added. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 people to Gaza.
"We understand now that our hostages — our family members, daughters and sons and cousins and husbands and grandparents — are going to be back in the loving arms of their families, are going to be brought for a respectful burial here in Israel," said Haskel. "I cannot explain to you what a joyful day this is for us."
Haskel said she believes the release of the remaining captives will begin a national process of emotional recovery that has not been possible since the attacks that began two years ago.
"I think that after all of them are going to be home in the next few days, this is when the Israeli people will start a healing process," she said. "Until now, we just weren't even able to start that."
But she also acknowledged that the day is a painful one for many Israelis whose loved ones were killed in terrorist attacks and who will now see some of the perpetrators freed as part of the agreement.
"Many family members who lost loved ones in horrendous terrorist attacks will see their perpetrator — this monster that inflicted that pain throughout the years — being released back into society with no restrictions," Haskel said.
"We are keeping that sensitivity, understanding the pain they're enduring this day as well."
Haskel cautioned that the success of the deal depends largely on whether regional powers can keep Hamas in line.
"The major question is how much pressure Qatar and Turkey will put on Hamas," she said. "Hamas has only agreed to the first stage of the plan. They didn't agree to the second stage of it, and so that is very fragile still."
As for whether Israelis can live peacefully alongside those responsible for terrorist attacks, Haskel was firm. "No," she said. "Once these people were radicalized, even sitting in prison, they didn't show any remorse. They continue to say that they will perpetrate the same atrocities again and again."
Haskel said the path forward lies not in slogans but in practical steps that can build coexistence over time.
"He speaks about education, the economy, security, and borders," she said of Trump. "These are the steps toward creating a reality where maybe, in a generation from now, Israelis and Palestinians will be able to live side by side."
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