Late in the afternoon on Friday (morning here in Canada), as the sun was setting over the Gaza Strip, 13 hostages kidnapped by Hamas were handed over to the Red Cross, loaded into ambulances and transported safely to Egypt, before making their way back to Israel. In exchange, 39 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom participated in stabbing attacks against Israelis, gain their freedom. Despite appearances that Hamas is coming out on top here, it is a necessary sacrifice on the part of the Israelis.
