Some Thoughts for the Israeli Hostages Both Living & Dead

(Freed Israeli hostage Evyatar David)

Today is a mixture of joy, sadness, anger and unease about the future.

First, the joy. The 20 living Israeli hostages are back home!!!

After 738 days in captivity, they are safe. Of course, these 20 men will endure scars from their ordeal for the rest of their lives. But they will live.

I am particularly gratified that Evyatar David is among the surviving hostages. Back in August, Hamas posted a video of an emaciated David digging his own grave. Back in February, David along with fellow surviving hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal was forced to watch three other hostages being freed from a van before being shuttled back to captivity.

When this deal was first announced with President Trump shamelessly campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize, I made it clear he was not entitled to any prizes until I saw the hostages released. Now that the 20 living hostages have been released, I am prepared to bestow Trump and his team all due credit including any measures they may have took to ensure they were not released in front of an angry mob against a backdrop of pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic propaganda. 

But then comes the sadness, anger and unease about the future.

For starters, there are the dead hostages and ensuring them a proper burial. Of the 28 hostages who were murdered by Hamas, only four have been returned - maybe. The bodies of Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and Daniel Perez have not been positively identified as of this hour. Hamas has willfully turned over the remains of the wrong person as was the case with Shiri Bibas. Frankly, there's nothing stopping them from doing this now. The fact that Vice-President Vance has publicly said that Hamas might never turn over the remains of the deceased hostages despite an agreement that they do exactly that does not inspire my confidence.

The release of the 20 living hostages came with a stiff price. The release of approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners many of whom had murdered Israelis. Who can say they won't do so again?

Then there is what happens to Hamas? Somehow, I think Hamas will outlast Trump, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the negotiating table and continue to rule Gaza. It doesn't exactly help matters the Trump Administration remains on friendly terms with Qatar, Hamas' long-time benefactor. With Qatar setting up a military base in Idaho, they will have the convenience of training Hamas operatives in the United States. What could go wrong?

And lest I forget the torrent of anti-Semitism which has been unleashed in the United States and around in the world at a time when Jews needed support the very most. The genie is out of the bottle and cannot be so easily returned. The damage has only just begun.

Yet despite all of this, we must take whatever joy we can find out the muck of sadness, anger and unease about the future. On this day, there are at least 20 good reasons to feel joy.