The temporary pause agreed to in order to secure the release of some 50 hostages from Hamas hasn't even gone into effect yet, and the terrorist government is already breaking the terms. 

Early on Thursday, it was reported that Hamas had postponed the deal for reasons that weren't immediately apparent. Speculation centered on whether the terrorists could even locate the hostages they were promising given how splintered the factions inside Gaza are. There is no central hostage repository because some were taken by civilians, some by Hamas fighters, and some by other terrorist groups. The new timeline is a ceasefire going into effect on Friday morning with the hostages beginning to be released that afternoon. 

Unfortunately, the problems don't stop there. Hamas is openly flouting one of the agreed upon aspects of the deal. Namely, the admission of the Red Cross to physically give the hostages health and wellness checks. 

#BREAKING: Hamas will not allow the @ICRC to visit the hostsges he holds although this is part of the hostage deal with Israel, @alaraby_ar reports.

According to the report, Hamas will notify the Red Cross on the hostages situation and health condition

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) November 23, 2023

This should surprise absolutely no one. Hamas was never to be trusted, and it was just a matter of time before they moved to blow up parts of the deal. The question is whether Israel will put up with this or simply throw its hands up and get back to destroying the terrorist government. 

Certainly, it feels like Hamas is testing the waters, seeing how far they can push things. You can bet your mortgage that this won't be the only provocation involving the deal. With the four-day ceasefire predicated on a slow release of hostages over that period, games will no doubt be played. 

In the end, none of this should change the long-term strategy of fully destroying Hamas. A ceasefire makes that more difficult, but it may be worth it if women and babies can be brought home. Pressure to keep the ceasefire permanent will become heavy, and it must be ignored. There is no peace to be had with Hamas.