Intense Emotions about the Release of the Hostages
By Sarah N. Stern
The release of the hostages held in the hellish nightmare of Gaza for 471 days has sparked a complex whirlwind of emotions among the Israeli, Jewish and international public. On the one hand, one cannot help but feel immense, unbridled ecstasy at witnessing the return of Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, into the hands of their loved ones. All were held captive for 15 anguishing months. Sunday’s dramatic events brought an end to their horrific ordeal and reunited them with their families and a nation who has been living in extensive trauma since the barbaric attack of October 7, 2023.
The intensive euphoria is almost palpable in Israel, and among anyone who is civilized and possesses a beating heart, witnessing the reunification of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers with their loved ones, who have had to endure the trauma, the terror and the torment of being held by Hamas terrorists for so very long.
However, the feelings of joy are not without their geostrategic drawbacks and deeper global complexities. The prolonged period of uncertainty and fear has left a mark on both the individuals directly involved and the broader community of civilized nations.
As the hostages were reunited with their loved ones, lingering questions and concerns emerged. Who will be released from Israeli prisons? Questions swirl about the circumstances under which the hostages were released and the concessions that have been made to secure their freedom. The fear that such agreements could set a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging future acts of hostage-taking, looms large. Does this deal encourage more terrorists to abduct innocent Israeli civilians to get the release of more Palestinian terrorists, many with blood on their hands, and enable them to conduct more merciless atrocities?
Does this deal encourage other terrorist groups around the globe, some affiliated with Iran, such as the Houthis and Hezbollah, to abduct more innocent civilians? Are we not rewarding and incentivizing this behavior?
And what of the other approximately 95 hostages still in the hellish nightmare of Gaza? We know that the three released were in relatively good condition. What of the others? What of 5 year old Ariel Bibas, (4 when kidnapped) and 1 year old Kfar Bibas (9 months when kidnapped)? What of the six remaining American hostages, Edan Alexander, 20, from Tenafly, New Jersey? What of all the other young men and women of military age?
We know that over 1,900 Hamas terrorists will be released, in this first phase for 33 Israeli hostages over 42 days. How will this endanger the future security concerns of the civilians and the soldiers in the state of Israel?
Some of the notorious figures to be released include Abdel-Basset Odeh, a member of the Hamas Iz a Din al-Kassam Brigades, from the West Bank city of Tulkarem, who murdered 30 people at the Park Hotel in Natanya, in 2002, and was sentenced to 29 life terms, will be walking free. Murderers such Zakaria Zubeidi, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, where he organized a number of terror attacks, including a suicide bombing, murdering six people at a Likud branch in Beit She’an. Murderers such as Ahmed Barghouti, a close aide to Marwan Barghouti, who is serving 13 life sentences. Arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in Ramallah in 2002, Ahmed was responsible for supplying weapons to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, where he served as their operational commander, and has participated in multiple terrorist attacks.
The Israeli military claims to have successfully eliminated approximately eighty percent of the Hamas infrastructure in Gaza, killing more than 17,000 members of the terrorist organization since the start of the war. However, Hamas still seems to be in control in Gaza, and 20 per cent of a malignant tumor can metastasize quite rapidly.
Moreover, the emotional scars left by the experience of captivity—both for the hostages and their families—cannot be ignored. The psychological impact of the trauma will undoubtedly require long-term support and care, a reality that tempers the initial joy with a sober recognition of the challenges ahead.
No matter what supporters of Hamas and other terrorist groups claim as the “root cause” of all of this, we know that October 7, 2023, was an unspeakable evil inflicted on this earth that can never recur again. In the midst of these complex emotions, we have a moral imperative to all civilized human beings ensure that such events never recur again. The release of the hostages, while a cause for celebration for anyone with a soul, also serves as a poignant reminder of the deeper complexities and infinite dangers associated with securing their freedom.
Sarah N. Stern is Founder and President of The endowment for Middle East Truth, EMET.
Keep France away from the Middle East peace process
Expand the Abraham Accords to Central Asia
Help us work to ensure that our policymakers and the public receive the EMET- the Truth.
Take Action