Israel's Plan to Rescue the Hostages is Admirable, but is it Possible?

  Never trust a war to go down the way it is outlined. At least, have reservations this time as Israel plans to rescue the hostages being held by Hamas. There are reportedly as many as 230 of those hostages, although some reports suggest about 50 of them have already been killed by Israeli air attacks as Israel in an effort to soften the enemy in preparation for a ground attack.
   Freeing the hostages is an admirable goal and would be a major achievement. But how do you go in, guns a blazing, to kill Hamas without Hamas using the hostages as human shields?
   Some are suggesting it is wiser to rely on diplomatic efforts. War kills, but diplomacy saves. Egypt and Qatar have been leading efforts to free the hostages and that has resulted in four being released already.
   But never trust a war to go down in line with the way it is drawn up. Just as Israel might not be able to save many of the hostages, So also might those calling for diplomacy be wrong. It could be that Hamas has released but a small sample of the hostages just to persuade the world that they will release all of them.
   Hamas is likely trying to buy time. And, if it could, it probably would try to swing a deal releasing all the hostages in exchange for Israel promising it will drop the land assault altogether. Another suggestion is that Hamas releases the hostages in exchange for the Hamas prisoners held by Israel. Hamas proposed that Saturday, and it is a proposal that should be given the highest consideration.
   War might not always go down as planned, but if you weigh all the possibilities, you are more likely to reap the planned result.