Colonel (Res.) Lior Lotan, former Special Envoy on Hostages and Missing Persons in the Prime Minister's Office, believes that so long as Hamas is not under pressure, they will continue to play games instead of keep to the terms of the prisoner swap agreement.
In an interview with 103FM Radio, Lotan analyzed the agreement and the lack of deterrence, in Hamas's view, against Israel.
"The hostages are assets for Hamas, and in Islam, one does not give up assets except under force. When there is no pressure on them, they do what they are used to," Lotan explained.
"This agreement is flawed," Lotan told 103FM. "Israel did not set its terms; it accepted it and had to maneuver, but it's good that Israel entered this process. What should we do now, when Hamas exploits the space given to them in the agreement? First of all, we need to turn on the lights. Any price we pay today is lower than what we will pay in the future."
"The war is not over," he added, stressing that Israel has "leverage to pressure" the terror group.
Regarding the possibility that Israel might return to fighting if the violations continue, he explained, "Anyone who lives in Gaza knows the gap between the declarations and the armored vehicles. They have become accustomed to the 'boy who cried wolf' situation. They understand the geo-strategy," he emphasized.
Lotan also noted that the statements made by senior Israeli officials do not convince Hamas leaders.
"Hamas in Gaza can't lose much more; they are making their own situational assessment," he clarified.