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 is using the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ceremonies to release the hostages as an opportunity to rebuild itself and assert its authority in the Palestinian enclave by taking over policing, healthcare,

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.