

Well you’ve used the qualifier “adequate”, which means there’s an undefined set of criteria for bargaining that you deem acceptable. However there was until three days ago a ceasefire in place. A ceasefire by its existence proves that some bargaining has been done.
There were no provisions in the ceasefire that allowed Israel to attack under the conditions in which they did. An unconditional and complete release of hostages by 18/03/2025 was not one of the conditions imposed upon Hamas. Israel contravened the ceasefire. Therefore by giving the green light, the arbiter was violently remiss in his duties to uphold it impartially.
No idea where you get your news, but if you look at multiple sources from the time the ceasefire was signed (mid January), you’ll see the terms of the ceasefire, and you’ll see that Hamas did not break them.
Releasing the hostages won’t stop anything. The IDF was headshotting children before October 7th.
Seventeen days later? I don’t think you can call that a “trigger”
Fact is, Israel has been violating the ceasefire since the beginning according to the reports I’ve been reading.
Hamas shouldn’t even have the hostages, but stealing a few hundred people is nothing compared to the way Israel bullies Gaza. Now they’ve got the hostages, they’ve lost any moral high ground anyway, so they’re going to use them to the best tactical, strategic and diplomatic advantage they can. It’s the smart thing to do. It’s not the right thing to do, but I think everyone lost all hope of either side doing something right a long time ago.