January 28, 2025
Sondra Oster Baras
What an emotional roller-coaster! Last Sunday and again this past Saturday, we waited with baited breath to see which hostages would be released and what they would look like. It had been more than a year since the last hostage release, and no one knew what their condition would be. We were glued to the television and watched as the International Red Cross vans drove through Gaza to the meeting point.
We saw mobs of Hamas terrorists, with black masks and green headbands, armed with machine guns, clamoring around the vans transporting the hostages. Finally, we gained a glimpse of three faces peering out from a van. As they emerged, they were surrounded by a terrifying, armed screaming mob. But they were alive. And they were walking on two feet. Not long afterwards, they were delivered safely to the IDF. Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher came home to their families. Emily had lost two fingers on October 7th when Hamas terrorists shot at her; upon her release, she held up her bandaged hand for all to see and declared with pride: I survived!
This week we saw four women soldiers come home: Daniella Gilboa, Liri Albag, Naama Levy and Karina Ariev. The agreement with Hamas called for the women civilians to be released first, after which Israel would allow Gazans to return to the northern part of Gaza. Arbel Yehud is a civilian who was expected to be released, and when she wasn’t, the IDF banned all Gazans from moving north. Shiri Bibas and her two children Kfir and Ariel, civilians, a woman and children, also should have been released in this first group. But it is not clear if they are still alive. Hamas was supposed to release a list of all remaining hostages, noting who was alive and who was dead. They have not done that either.
Hamas is playing with us. Just before Daniella, Liri, Naama and Karina were released, Hamas paraded them before Hamas supporters, dressed them in IDF uniforms and put them on a stage. Their goal was to humiliate them. To present them as captured, downtrodden soldiers. But these four bold women refused to act according to the Hamas script. When they mounted the stage, they held up their hands in signs of victory, smiling broadly to the hostile crowd, as if to say — we will not be vanquished. Ever!
Yes, Hamas is playing with us. Before the first release, they provided the names of the three to be released 15 hours after the deadline. On Saturday, they did not release Arbel, claiming she was still alive but without demonstrating proof of life.
This is no surprise. Can anyone really expect Hamas to abide by agreements they have signed? Can anyone expect people who glory in the massacre of old men, women and babies to be honorable?
The hostage deal is hugely controversial in Israel. While the majority of Israelis support the deal, no one thinks it is a good deal. And while everyone is moved to tears at the sight of these young women released from horrific captivity and returned to their families, we are equally horrified at the release of thousands of Palestinian murderers and terrorists, and the return of Palestinians to areas of Gaza that were evacuated and cleared of terrorists at the cost of hundreds of Israeli soldiers who fell in the fight against Hamas.
Popular culture refers to Israelis as Sabras, after the prickly cactus fruit. We are considered tough and prickly on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside. And nothing is more sabra-like than the attitudes towards this deal. For more than 440 days, we have looked at the faces of the parents, siblings and friends of these hostages and felt their pain. We cried with them each and every day, and identified with them as if they were our families. And in a very real sense, they are our families. Israel has fewer than 9 million citizens, 80% of whom are Jewish. And as Jews, we really do feel like family. Even when we argue, and we do that often, we are family and we will give our lives for one another without asking questions.
When Netanyahu presented the deal as the best he could achieve, we believed him. Anything to see those hostages back alive. Are we worried that the released terrorists will attack us at the first opportunity? Of course. This is not a possibility — it is a certainty. Are we concerned that Hamas will once again regain control of Gaza and rebuild its capabilities to launch another October 7th attack in a year or so? Absolutely. So why are so many in favor of this deal?
Because we have no choice. Because we don’t have the heart to suffer the pain of the hostage families. Because we fear that if we don’t free them today, they will all be killed by Hamas. And how will we ever be able to face those families?
There is only one way to move forward, however. Regardless of what Israel has signed in this or future agreements, Israel must go back into Gaza to finish the job. Israel must ensure that Hamas is completely and totally destroyed. Israel must pursue every single terrorist that is being released and neutralize them. And as we face our enemies on every border, we must never again allow these vile terrorists to become viable threats to Israel. We must pre-empt their every move, we must stop them before they get too close to us, we must prevent them from re-arming. We must do whatever it takes to ensure that they will never attack us again. Am Yisrael Chai! The Nation of Israel Lives. Forever.