In a report on Sunday, the New York Times reported that “for months, Israelis heard only about the killing of hostages or the announcement of their deaths in Gaza. The ‘lucky’ families were those whose loved ones’ remains were recovered by soldiers, at great risk, and returned to their homes.” Israel to bury her.

“So the daring rescue of four live hostages on Saturday immediately lifted morale in Israel and provided at least a temporary victory for beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” the newspaper said.

But by Sunday, the euphoria had already given way to a harsher reality. The violent air and ground assault that accompanied the rescue operation left 270 Palestinians dead and nearly 600 injured, most of them children and women, according to Gaza health officials, refuting Israel's claims that the operation was a resounding success, at least on the international level. The process failed to solve any of the deep dilemmas and challenges that trouble the Israeli government, according to analysts, “and it did not change anything regarding the equation of the potential deal for the release of all detainees and a ceasefire according to President Biden’s priority.”

Eight months into its brutal war on Gaza, “It appears that Israel is still far from achieving its stated goals of dismantling Hamas’ military and governance capabilities. Israelis fear that time is running out for many hostages in Gaza, and the Israeli authorities have already announced the death of about a third.” The remaining 120 people,” according to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the Israeli leadership is “grappling” with escalating hostilities across the northern border with Lebanon and grappling with growing international isolation and disdain over the war on Gaza, including genocide allegations being considered by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

It is noteworthy that Nahum Barnea, an Israeli political columnist, wrote in the famous newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Sunday that the rescue mission “does not solve any of the problems that Israel has been facing since October 7; it does not solve the problem in the north; it does not solve the problem in Gaza; “It (the process) does not solve a series of other problems that threaten Israel on the international scene.”

The decision on Sunday by Benny Gantz, the former military commander and Netanyahu's main political rival, to withdraw the centrist National Unity Party from the wartime emergency government, has left Netanyahu even more vulnerable, as the stability of Mr. Netanyahu's government now appears to be at stake.

Pressure is increasing on the Israeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas to release all remaining hostages. But the fate of the Israeli proposal for a truce and the exchange of hostages and prisoners, as explained by US President Joe Biden more than a week ago (on May 31), is still uncertain. The Biden administration and Israeli officials say they are still waiting for an official response from Hamas to determine whether negotiations can resume.

Israelis are now debating whether the rescue of the four hostages (in exchange for the deaths of three other detainees and the operation's military commander) will help or hinder the prospects of reaching such a deal — a deal that, if implemented, could threaten Netanyahu's grip on power, with the far-right pledging in his ruling coalition to withdraw. And overthrow his government.

The newspaper speculates: “The rescue of the four hostages is likely to strengthen the arguments of those who say that Israeli military pressure on Hamas and continued ground operations in Gaza are necessary to return the remaining hostages to their homes, but for many Israelis and relatives of dozens of remaining hostages, the return of only four From the hostages, the obvious became clear - that such complex military operations may only be able to save a small number of them and pose a great danger to the army.

The Israeli media paid little attention to the large death toll reported by officials in Gaza as a result of the rescue operation. Neither the Israeli army nor Palestinian health officials provided details on the number of civilians and fighters killed in the raid.

The military's chief spokesman, Admiral Daniel Hagary, made clear the limits of what the military could do at a news conference on Saturday, saying of the remaining hostages: “We know that we cannot conduct operations in order to rescue all the hostages, because there are not always the circumstances that allow it. The largest number of hostages ever released – more than a hundred – was released under a previous temporary ceasefire and hostage and prisoner exchange agreement last November.” .

The operation also highlighted Israel's predicament: without boots on the ground, the army would be unable to carry out any such rescue operation or continue to dismantle Hamas' capabilities. But Hamas insists that any progress regarding the hostage deal is conditional on Israel's commitment to a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of its forces from Gaza.

“For Hamas, the deadly Israeli operation may harden its position. The group hinted that the rescue operation may make matters worse for the remaining prisoners.”

The spokesman for the movement’s military wing, Abu Ubaida, said in a statement on Saturday that “the operation will pose a great danger to the enemy prisoners and will have a negative impact on their conditions and lives.”

Experts said some of the remaining hostages may now be moved from civilian apartment buildings, such as those that housed the four rescued on Saturday, to harsher conditions in underground tunnels where they would be more difficult to access.

Avi Kalo, an Israeli reserve lieutenant colonel and former head of a military intelligence department that focuses on soldiers missing in action, said that “Hamas will try to draw lessons” from the operation and take more precautions to keep the hostages out of reach.

“For Hamas, this is not a turning point,” he said, adding that the movement is still holding many hostages. He added: "Four less is not something that changes the reality significantly."

Many Israelis had already accused Netanyahu, whose approval ratings declined after October 7, of trying to take advantage of the rescue operation by rushing to receive the freed hostages at the hospital near Tel Aviv where they were recovering and reuniting with their families.

His office then released batches of photos and videos from the hospital, where Netanyahu also made a public statement, breaking with the usual avoidance of government activity on the Jewish Sabbath.

Relatives of hostages who did not return said they had not received such personal attention from the prime minister. Avi Marciano, whose daughter, soldier Noa, was kidnapped on October 7 and killed in Gaza, wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday that in the six months after her death was announced, "the prime minister did not come. He did not call either."

The departure of Gantz and his party marks the end of the broader emergency government and was an indictment of Mr. Netanyahu's ambiguous wartime policies.

Gantz joined the government shortly after October 7, out of what he said was a sense of national responsibility, and became a key member of Mr. Netanyahu's war cabinet. Three weeks ago, he issued an ultimatum, saying he would withdraw from the government by June 8 unless Mr. Netanyahu charted a clear and strategic path forward, including making decisions and plans for how to release the remaining hostages in Gaza and for post-war governance in Gaza. Territory, among other issues.

Gantz had planned to address the nation on Saturday evening, but due to the hostage rescue operation, he postponed his anticipated announcement by 24 hours. The departure of his party will not immediately bring down the government; Netanyahu and his remaining partners still enjoy a majority in Parliament.

Gantz accused Netanyahu of delaying crucial decisions for narrow political reasons, sending a clear signal that even after Saturday's dramatic raid, not much has changed.