Amanpour – The Response To The Israel-Hamas Deal

Podcast: Amanpour | Host: Christiane Amanpour (CNN International) | Date: October 9, 2025

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This episode explores the landmark ceasefire and hostage release deal agreed upon by Israel and Hamas after two years of war. Christiane Amanpour hosts in-depth conversations with hostage families, humanitarian experts, veteran negotiators, and diplomats. The show examines immediate reactions in Israel and Gaza, the complexities of the agreement, questions around its durability, and what it means for the long-term prospects of peace and Palestinian statehood.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Deal Overview & Global Reaction

• [00:04-03:18]
  • Israel and Hamas accepted the first phase of a Trump-brokered deal:
    • Immediate cessation of hostilities.
    • Israeli forces to withdraw to an agreed line.
    • Release of all Israeli hostages (alive and deceased) by Hamas within 72 hours.
    • Israel to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including 1,700 Gazans detained after October 7.
    • Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza to resume.
  • President Trump plans to travel to the region to “mark the occasion.”
  • General sentiment of relief and hope across the Middle East and globally.
    • Amanpour (00:40): "The sun rose this morning over a different Middle East, one brimming with joy and relief that Israel's brutal war on Gaza may finally be over..."

Notable Quotes

• Khan Younis Resident:
  • [00:55] “Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of the bloodshed and the killing. All of the Gaza Strip is happy. All Arab people are happy. All of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of the bloodshed…”

2. Unresolved Issues & Fragility of the Deal

• [03:48-06:44]
  • The deal, while significant, is only the “first step”—still pending are:
    • Hamas disarmament.
    • Full Israeli withdrawal.
    • Future governance of Gaza.
    • Return of all hostages’ remains.
  • Details on Palestinian prisoner release (including high-profile political prisoners) and precise security arrangements are still under discussion.
  • Hamas demands a formal declaration ending the war, fearing Israel may resume hostilities after hostages are freed.
    • Amanpour (06:28): “Wanted, you know, in return for whatever they agree, an end to the war so that Netanyahu doesn’t just start it up again.”

Nick Robertson (Cairo):

• [04:21] “These are not stumbling blocks per se that are going to bring it all down. But it's indicative of just how quick the headline announcement was made about phase one, when even details of it weren't fully thrashed out.”

3. The Emotional Toll on Hostage Families

• [08:34-18:55] (Interview with Sharon Lifshitz)
  • Sharon Lifshitz describes the exhaustion, bitterness, and mixed emotions among hostage families.
  • Emphasis on the campaign for the return of all hostages, both living and deceased.
  • Many families are bracing for confirmation of the deaths of loved ones—a "bittersweet" outcome.
    • Sharon Lifshitz (09:58): "We almost don’t dare to hope that this could ever have come to pass."
    • Sharon Lifshitz (10:21): “It’s not an easy world to wish for 28 funerals, but this is where we are heading.”
  • Deep frustration over perceptions of Hamas and global discourse:
    • Sharon Lifshitz (14:52): “I sit here and I hear people talk about this organization as if this is a decent way to behave as a human. And I cannot imagine that anybody would imagine that is a good way forward.”
  • She calls for separation between governments and individuals, and for a change in leadership on both sides to enable real reconciliation.

Notable Moments

• On Hope and Humanity:
  • Sharon Lifshitz (17:47): “My mom...sat in front of a human being and they had an exchange. And she saw his humanity. He saw her. If we are not blinded by hate, we can see each other's humanity.”
• On Reckoning:
  • Sharon Lifshitz (16:51): “This government has used our plight, the plight of our people, for its own purposes. They’re still in power after two years, after the worst atrocity happened on the in Israel, and that is only because of the hostages...”

4. Perspectives from Gaza & Humanitarian Crises

• [19:00-29:38]
  • Amanpour speaks with Noor Al Aqsa (MSF, Gaza) and Bushra Khalidi (Oxfam, West Bank) on the situation in Gaza:
    • Cautious, skeptical mood among Gazans—relief is muted by trauma and disbelief.
      • Noor Al Aqsa (19:56): “Everyone is still questioning whether it's happening or not. I mean, it does bring a moment of relief from exhaustion, but everyone is doubting...”
    • Aid needs are extreme and urgent: unrestricted access, commercial goods, soap, basics.
      • Bushra Khalidi (23:39): “What’s needed right now is full unrestricted humanitarian access...No more sieges. Crossings need to be fully open.”
    • Public health catastrophe: overcrowding, disease, hunger.
    • Bushra Khalidi (26:15): “Gaza is a petri dish of disease... We need to restore dignity...repair materials. People need to be able to return to their homes or what is left of their homes...”
    • Physical devastation—major infrastructure, homes, and hospitals in ruins.
  • Noor Al Aqsa describes hospitals overwhelmed: “doctors and nurses are changing the dressing for patients who are literally laying on the floor, there's no room...”

5. Expert Panel: The Pathways and Pitfalls Ahead

• [31:48-44:19]
  • Panelists:
    • Yossi Bailin (Former Israeli Justice Minister/Oslo negotiator)
    • Oliver McTernan (Hostage negotiator/conflict resolution expert)
    • Hussein Ara (Negotiations expert, author)
  • No illusion this deal means permanent peace—vast challenges remain:
    • The “morning after” problem: who will rule Gaza? Current Israeli and Hamas leaderships are not aligned for a lasting peace.
    • Risks of “outside” administration mirroring post-war Iraq debacles.
    • The importance of international guarantees—shifting from bilateral U.S.-Hamas to U.S.-Qatar-Turkey mediation.
      • Hussein Ara (36:59): “This is not an agreement between Hamas and Israel...it is an agreement between President Trump and the countries of Turkey and Qatar. ...it is more powerful than what happened before.”
    • The need to recognize Palestinian self-determination and end occupation for true security.
      • Oliver McTernan (43:39): “Israel will only have the security it desires...when the international community have the courage to say enough, occupation has to end, we have to have a real Palestinian state.”
    • The exclusion of prominent prisoners like Marwan Barghouti by Israel is a major stumbling block.

Notable Quotes

• Yossi Bailin (41:20): "Only people who don't want an agreement with the Palestinians would keep [Marwan Barghouti] in prison right now."
• Oliver McTernan (44:19): “...the basic human right of Palestinians to have their own state, to have real agency, not a state on paper…”

6. European & Diplomacy Perspective

• [45:51-51:15] (Interview: Sylvie Berman, former French Ambassador)
  • Europe sees itself as crucial for stabilization and Gaza reconstruction.
  • Possibility of peacekeeping forces (UN, Arab, or “coalition of the willing”—flexibility needed on international presence).
  • Macron’s advocacy for the two-state solution seen as complementary to U.S. efforts.
  • Internal French political instability presents challenges, but Berman believes Macron can still play a significant diplomatic role.
  • Berman doubts any immediate impact on Russia’s war in Ukraine from developments in the Middle East.

7. Poetic Reflection

• [51:15-53:11]
  • Christiane ends the show with a moving poem from 95-year-old Theodore Mehran, Holocaust survivor and former war crimes tribunal judge, reflecting on the suffering in Gaza and Israel.
  • Poem excerpt: “Gaza bombed out, collapsed, burning houses, black robed mothers crying to heavens for the loss of their progeny, …emaciated hostages clinging to life in dark tunnels…”

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “All of the Gaza Strip is happy. All Arab people are happy. All of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of the bloodshed.” – Gaza resident [00:55]
• “We almost don’t dare to hope that this could ever have come to pass.” – Sharon Lifshitz, hostage daughter [09:58]
• “It’s not an easy world to wish for 28 funerals, but this is where we are heading.” – Lifshitz [10:21]
• “If we are not blinded by hate, we can see each other's humanity.” – Lifshitz [17:47]
• “Everyone is still questioning whether it's happening or not.” – Noor Al Aqsa (Gaza) [19:56]
• “Gaza is a petri dish of disease...We need to restore dignity.” – Bushra Khalidi [26:15]
• “Only people who don’t want an agreement with the Palestinians would keep [Barghouti] in prison right now.” – Yossi Bailin [41:20]
• “Israel will only have the security it desires...when the international community have the courage to say enough, occupation has to end, we have to have a real Palestinian state.” – Oliver McTernan [44:19]
• Poem extract:
  • “Gaza bombed out, collapsed, burning houses, black robed mothers crying to heavens for the loss of their progeny, ...Emaciated hostages clinging to life in dark tunnels...” – Theodore Mehran [51:23]

Key Segment Timestamps

• [00:04] – Introduction, summary of the deal and its effect.
• [03:48] – Amanpour outlines the unfinished business and challenges ahead.
• [04:21] – Nick Robertson’s detailed report on negotiation sticking points.
• [08:34] – Sharon Lifshitz interview: personal impact on hostage families.
• [19:00] – Humanitarian perspectives from Gaza (Noor/MSF) and West Bank (Bushra/Oxfam).
• [31:48] – Negotiators' roundtable: Roots and future prospects of peace.
• [45:51] – Interview with Sylvie Berman: European perspective on peacekeeping and two-state solution.
• [51:15] – Requiem poem and reflective close.

Conclusion

Through diverse and at times emotionally raw conversations, this episode presents the historic Israel-Hamas deal as a moment of hope shadowed by trauma, skepticism and immense practical challenges. There is relief and celebration, but also wariness—families await the return of hostages, aid workers stress the dire humanitarian situation, and peace negotiators warn of the long journey ahead for a definitive, just peace. The possibility of international powers working in concert—especially through Trump, Qatar, and Turkey—is identified as both a difference-maker and a test for the future. The recurring plea throughout: genuine security and dignity will only come with brave, comprehensive solutions centered on human rights and the acknowledgment of suffering on all sides.