It is believed that at least two of the six American hostages still held in Gaza are alive — Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. Four other Americans are believed to have been killed in captivity.

Even in war, branding applies. Israel and Hamas are engaged in a parallel battle of optics despite a ceasefire that took effect Jan. 19 after more than a year of devastating war.

Hamas wants to send the world the message that it is still in charge in the Gaza Strip. Its method: turning the release of hostages into a spectacle that Israel is powerless to stop. The pattern began about two weeks ago,