A few days after the brutal violence of 7 October, one Israeli peace activist was already working behind the scenes to try to free the dozens of Israelis taken captive by Hamas.
Gershon Baskin has spent nearly two decades negotiating with Hamas, and in 2011 secured the return of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit after five years of captivity. According to Israeli figures, 242 hostages are now being held in the Strip. Baskin knew from experience that the involvement of other countries – Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s leadership in Doha and facilitates money transfers to the group, and Egypt, which controls the southern Rafah border crossing into Gaza – would be key to their safe return.
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