As we approach nearly 500 days of captivity and uncertainty, the joy that has been absent since the first hostage release in November 2023 appears to finally be a reality for the first time in a long time.
While the news cycles have taunted us for months, a deal that includes Hamas releasing 33 of our 98 hostages began this past Sunday with the homecoming of civilians Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen, and Emily Damari, and yesterday with the return ofsoldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag.
Paraded by armed and masked Hamas terrorists through a taunting and jeering mob toward their waiting Red Cross vehicles, the victims were forced to film degrading propagandist videos and sign certificates signifying their time in captivity before being flown by Israel to the hospital and waiting their families.
As Hamas continues to cruelly leverage their human capital, we remain cautiously optimistic that the deal will hold. The families have worked around the clock for over a year to secure the release of their loved ones whose humanity has been devalued. And as the fate of too many remains uncertain, we all must find strength in their families’ perseverance and pray alongside them that the agreement holds and our people are freed, including all of the male hostages.
We remain hopeful that the beginning of the end of the nightmare for our people that began on October 7, 2023 is near. New York and American Jews have rekindled a community spirit and clear-eyed determination in the wake of the first horrific and sophisticated attempt to annihilate Jews in the 21st century. It’s our collective mission to ensure it remains the only attempt.
May all the hostages return home soon and may the memories of those lost be for a blessing, always.
From left, clockwise: Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, and Karina Ariev with their parents. (Government Press Office of Israel)