Hamas is an enemy, unlike any enemy ever fought by any army in the history of warfare.

It is in some ways a terror group, a guerrilla terror group that fades away into the civilian population,

hides among the civilian population.

But there's another sense in which it's a state.

It has controlled the government and it has controlled the economy of a particular strip of land for 15 years.

And until October 7th, there was nothing Hamas would do that the Israelis could imagine that was worth the cost of tens of thousands of dead civilians.

And after October 7th, the Israelis concluded that that was no longer the case and they would

have to essentially take on that cost. It's Sunday,

Sunday, November 26th at 9.30 PM in New York City.

It's 4.30 AM on Monday, November 27th in Israel, as Israelis get ready to begin their day.

That is the fourth day in the agreed-upon pause in war fighting between Israel and Hamas and the fourth day,

God willing of another group of Israeli hostages returning to Israel as well as

the return of a fourth group of foreign nationals.

Today is also my weekly check-in with Aviv Rhette Gour.

I wanted to talk to haveavev about what early lessons he is identifying so far

for Israeli leaders and security officials

and for Israeli society

from the implementation of this agreement

by Hamas to release hostages over the past several days

from the overall negotiations that led to this agreement and the fits and

starts of the and what the implications are for all of this in the next phase of the war or

whether or not that next phase of the war will be further delayed.

...