The hostages held by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023 are starting to come home, and it’s been a cause for celebration in Israel. Even before the inauguration, the Trump administration took the reins of driving a hostage deal and keeping pressure on the parties to keep the releases on schedule. For that, they have the gratitude of an entire nation.
But there is much work left to do.
My son, Itay, a U.S. citizen, was not on the list of those being released in the first phase of the deal. With the posturing and public statements from both sides claiming victory, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the second phase of the deal, many hostage families like mine are concerned that it could collapse.
After nearly 500 days, all of the hostages’ families pray for a framework with a clear, detailed process regarding how every last hostage, dead or alive, would be released. We rejoice with the families of the hostages but are also envious, asking when will we be reunited with our family members?
Even today, after the deal has been partially implemented, there is still doubt that the deal will come to fruition. Over 30 hostages have been murdered in captivity since Oct. 7, and the bodies of the deceased hostages, set to be returned only in the subsequent phases of the deal, may be lost forever. No family deserves to live without a place to mourn their loved ones.
Because President Trump is a skilled dealmaker and has appointed people with similar skillsets, such as Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, I would like to provide my thoughts in business terms on the pathway to seal the Deal of the Century.
Before becoming the father of a U.S. hostage, I worked as a mergers and acquisitions dealmaker, and indeed, I find the current situation highly similar to the M&A process. In an acquisition, two sides negotiate for an extensive period of time to reach the first phase of the deal, commonly known as the signing date. The signing date details how the parties will continue to negotiate to get to the ‘closing’ date in good faith and delineates the valuable assets needed to be held in escrow to ensure that such a deal is indeed reached. Similarly, it is imperative that the U.S. and Qatar negotiators demand that both sides put valuable assets into ‘escrow’ and constantly create new leverage points so that failing to finalize the deal would be too costly for either side.
President Trump has been involved in numerous complicated real estate transactions and has almost always got the deal done. He understands these dynamics all too well and thus, is perfectly suited to this job. His understanding of deal dynamics has been critical to the initial hostage release. Now is the time for President Trump to continue to clear the table and release all of the hostages to enable him to focus on the main goal: the Deal of the Century.
I believe the Deal of the Century, comprising of normalization in the Middle East, can and must be struck before the window of opportunity for long-term regional stability is closed yet again. President Trump invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House this week as the first foreign leader to the White House. I trust President Trump has a new game plan in place to create the Deal of the Century that will lead to long-term stability in the Middle East and release the remaining hostages, including six U.S. citizens.