Nor Syria, Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Chad, Mauritania or even South Africa with 28,000 murders per year.
Paying too high a ransom for captive hostages (or captive computing systems to use a different example) not only encourages more of the same but also funds it. Hamas’s latest demand, as if they have any right to do so, is 500 released terrorists that they get to choose for about 50 women, children and the elderly and then another 1500 for the remaining men. Given that over 40% of released prisoners in the Shalit deal have reoffended and that Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, 2 of the 3 planners of Oct 7, were released in that “deal”, I would certainly hope that that the Israelis have taken that lesson to heart. Also, consider that the ICJ has required that Hamas release the hostages immediately and unconditionally, Hamas’s failure to respect the court and the lack of international insistence that it does harms if not destroys the court’s claim to influence. Their proposed “deal” asks that the male hostages remain in captivity several more months. No one should accept that.
Recently the Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners. This was done on a 1:1 basis. The same should apply here.