The Gaza Hostage Crisis: Lessons for Hostage Diplomacy

Speaker: Danielle Gilbert, assistant professor of political science, Northwestern University

Israel has a long and troubled history responding to hostage crises, but the nature and scale of Hamas’s hostage taking on October 7th is unprecedented. In this webinar, Danielle Gilbert will discuss the long history of hostage taking in war, the evolution of hostage diplomacy, and what lessons can be drawn from the current hostage crisis in Gaza.

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Danielle Gilbert’s research explores the causes and consequences of hostage taking, including projects on rebel kidnapping, hostage recovery policy, and hostage diplomacy. Following Hamas’s October 7th attack, she published the essay: “Why the Gaza Hostage Crisis Is Different.” In 2023, she was selected to serve on the Bipartisan Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) In Washington, DC. Before embarking on an academic career, she served four years on Capitol Hill including as a Senior Legislative Assistant and Appropriations Associate, and she worked as a policy advisor on presidential and congressional campaigns.
 

During the 2024 winter quarter (January-March) FSI's Visiting Fellows in Israel Studies program is hosting a series of webinars exploring various aspects of contemporary Israeli politics, societal and security challenges. Webinars will take place on Wednesdays, 10:00-11:15am PST (20:00-21:15pm, Israel Time). Each webinar will feature a guest speaker from Israel or the U.S. and will include a lecture or moderated conversation with the guest, followed by a Q&A with the audience.