Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told Newsmax on Thursday that Hamas might come out on top of its cease-fire and hostage deal with Israel.
Joining "American Agenda," Huckabee acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is put in a hard position, facing pressure to bring home families captured during the deadly Oct. 7 attacks.
But he warned that a sole focus on bringing home hostages over winning the wider conflict could embolden not only Hamas, but other terrorist groups in the region seeking to force the Jewish state into appeasement.
"The families of the hostages and many of the people of Israel are saying, 'Get them out — no matter what it takes.' Now, I think that it's hard to not want to have that attitude — just get the hostages out at whatever price.
"Here's the problem: If you start negotiating for hostages, then Hamas now knows that the longer it holds hostages, the more that they can exact out of Israel, and they will do it. And it's not just Hamas."
According to The New York Times, the deal includes a four-day cease-fire during which 50 Israeli women and children abducted by Hamas will be exchanged for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel.
It also features increased humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, Hamas said 200 trucks carrying relief supplies and four fuel trucks would enter the territory each day of the pause.
Huckabee noted that he has been working with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to provide food and shelter assistance to those who have been displaced in southern Israel since the attack.
"You have hundreds of people, thousands of people, who are now having to be sheltered in hotels, whatever available apartments that can be found, with family members," Huckabee said. "It puts an incredible strain on all of those resources."
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