As hostage release continues, remember who real enemies are - comment

With so many dozens of hostages still unaccounted for, it’s still hard to breathe, but it’s been interspersed with gasps of joy.

 Israelis watch the release of three hostages from Hamas captivity as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, at hostage square in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025.  (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Israelis watch the release of three hostages from Hamas captivity as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, at hostage square in Tel Aviv, January 30, 2025.
(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

For the last few months, I’ve been unable to write about the war and hostage situation. A total blockage. Not good for a writer.

It’s been like I can’t breathe or gather my thoughts. Take a deep breath, exhale, I tell myself.

Wallowing in my own pain over the changes that the October 7 Hamas massacre and resultant war has brought to my life, I’ve become numb. Fearing the worst and expecting worse.

Even thinking for more than a second about the plight of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza prompted an emotional free fall.

It seemed like we would never see them – the thought of them in caves, cellars, alone or beaten, was unbearable.

 Families of four released hostages reunite with the returned hostages, January 25, 2025. (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)Enlrage image
Families of four released hostages reunite with the returned hostages, January 25, 2025. (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)

Then the impossible came true.

Unbelievably, over the last two weeks, 10 Israeli hostages have been freed (along with five Thai nationals). With so many dozens still unaccounted for, it’s still hard to breathe, but it’s been interspersed with gasps of joy.

The scenes that have repeated themselves of reunions and sheer jubilation have been a balm for the souls that have been battered for close to a year and a half. The steady stream of tears over seeing these lives being reborn has freed up something inside me.

My freeze over the last months has derived, in part, by not knowing who to blame, support, or lash out at over the situation Israel found itself in.

Who do you believe? There are intelligent people who I respect who claim that Israel’s prime minister abandoned the hostages for his own political survival? Of course, we have no way of knowing if that is close to being true, but if so, how can anyone even get out of bed in the morning?


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On the other hand, throughout the months-long process that led to the current ceasefire, the one common thread that ran through all the comments coming from Biden administration officials was that it was Hamas and the other terrorist groups in Gaza who were holding up a deal, not Israel.

But it’s human nature to blame those closest to you, so the weekly Saturday night protests choose to focus on blaming Netanyahu and his government for blocking a deal and planning to sabotage its continuation.

And what about the deal? Was it due to Trump, or did he just piggyback on the hard work of Biden’s team? Again, it depends on what you want to believe.

Are those who opposed the deal callous and lacking any empathy? No. The deal is terrible, freeing hundreds of murderous terrorists, and from the footage coming out of Gaza, leaving Hamas in control in some kind of October 6 rewind.

But like in any democracy, the majority view that the huge sacrifices required to save the hostages by accepting the ceasefire was incumbent and necessary was accepted. It’s what separates us from our enemies.

We've forgotten who the real demons are.

We’ve spent so long demonizing the “other” in our own country that we forgot who the real demons are. But Thursday morning, some of the haze dissipated, and we saw the real enemy for who they are.

Seeing the images of frenzied throngs of Gazans who jostled to get a look at Gadi Mozes, Arbel Yehoud, and Agam Berger, it was clear that contrary to what the Biden administration attempted to frame, there is no division between the “Gazan people” and the terrorists who brought such tragedy upon the enclave.

Having to choose between who is an obstacle to “peace,” I’ll always go with the Palestinians, even if the side I need to support includes such figures as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Could a deal have happened sooner, and could some hostages have been saved? Perhaps, but after Thursday’s spectacle, there’s a clarity that it was the bloodthirsty swarms of terrorists in Gaza who held up any potential progress.

Anyone headed out to demonstrate on Saturday night would do well to remember that right now, the Netanyahu government has done exactly what needs to be done. And as a result, 10 Israelis are home, and more are expected on Shabbat.

 Yes, Netanyahu must face the music over his role in the October 7 massacre, and he must resign when this is over.But right now, there are two sides, and one must be chosen.

I choose to stand on the side of those who support Arbel Yehoud – who within an inch of her life, after surviving more than 480 days in captivity, had to face the ultimate humiliation and threat of walking through throngs of terrorists on her way to freedom.

And I choose to stand against those who feel that Israel and its government is the problem, rather than those in Gaza who continue to behave in such a barbaric manner and are dedicated in their mission to destroy Israel.

Encourage our leaders to continue to the next stages of the truce, and continue putting pressure on them. But support them, for they are us.

And I also choose, from here on, to try to remember how to breathe. And to write. And to live.Take a deep breath. And exhale.

It’s something the whole country needs to do.