Hostage deals heightened kidnapping danger for Israelis, says security chief

The new head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency warns that the release of terrorists en masse as part of hostage deals has incentivized kidnapping of Israelis, heightening the likelihood of future abductions.

By World Israel News Staff

Israelis face an elevated threat of kidnapping by terrorist elements, an Israeli security chief warned recently, in part as a result of the mass release of jailed terrorists in exchange for the return of Israeli captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Last Thursday, Shin Bet head Maj. Gen. (Res.) David Zini told the security cabinet that “the threat of kidnappings has not gone down” in recent months.

Instead, Zini added, the likelihood of abductions “has risen and will continue to rise, because there is a price for the way we paid for the release of the hostages.”

Israel has released nearly 3,250 jailed Arab terrorists and security prisoners in exchange for the return of 155 living hostages and the remains of slain captives as part of the hostage deals inked with Hamas in November 2023, January 2025, and October 2025.

A report by Yedioth Ahronoth said that Zini’s comments were made as part of an agency assessment of security risks to Israelis and the impact that the hostage deals have had on terrorist groups.

Zini also did not present his views as a criticism of the hostage deals, the report added.

“This is not the first time Zini has made this statement in closed discussions, as part of his professional assessment of the threats,” a senior political official told the Hebrew daily.

“He is saying that terrorist organizations and our enemies have seen that kidnapping Israelis pays, and that the threat of kidnappings of Israelis in Israel and abroad has increased.”

When asked to respond to the report, a Shin Bet spokesperson emphasized that the security agency does not comment on the content of closed security hearings.