Alongside the pain sparked by the sight of some captivity survivors’ physical condition — the sadism of the bloodthirsty crowd escorting them to the International Red Cross or the cynicism and cruelty of marching them onto a podium — these were the final moments of despair before a rise in Israeli spirit.
It’s hard to call evil of this magnitude "necessary evil" — it was anything but necessary — but knowing this was the abyss from which they'd soon emerge helped endure even these moments. We consoled ourselves: we'd have the last laugh.
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Posters calling for the return of Shir, Ariel and Kfir Bibas
(Photo: AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
That long-awaited rise in spirit belonged first and foremost to the freed hostages, but not only them — it was shared by millions at home. The prolonged delay in their return sent Israeli society swinging between extremes of optimism and pessimism, even bizarre debates of "for" and "against."
It brought out the best and worst in us. The release of some hostages alive was the most anticipated miracle of all — so self-evident yet, almost miraculous after such a long wait. No one should have given up hope, but it would have been understandable to do so.
The unbearable delay in implementing the hostage deal’s first phase had, in a twisted way, some small mercy — each week, in drips of three or four, a dose of grace was injected into our veins, just enough to survive another week.
This Saturday, the first phase’s seventh and final handover will be completed with the release of six additional hostages. Phase two of the deal remains an illusion — on one hand, it feels as close as the gap between A and B, yet like all things of great value, until it’s secured, proximity is just an illusion the mind hesitates to trust.
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Today, with the return of four deceased hostages, will be one of the hardest days since the last terrorist who infiltrated the Gaza border was eliminated over a year ago. No magnifying glass will find a trace of good in it — only the worst of the worst. Nothing is worse than Gaza, but nothing is worse than death either. It was a mistake to think only a happy ending was possible.
The presence of death in this story has been known for a long time — 36 of the remaining 73 hostages are no longer alive and bodies have already been recovered from Gaza in military operations. And yet, despite knowing that every tragedy is its own, the expected return of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas will tear a chasm beneath our feet that may never fully close.
What was it about them that left such an imprint on us? We'll have a lifetime to wonder. Every thought of them is a wound that will never heal. Maybe it was their abduction in front of cameras, the fact that they were "seen alive" in that footage.
Maybe it was the immense helplessness — not in some faraway place, but in the safest place in the world, in their mother's arms — that made their vulnerability so devastating. Maybe it was the shattering of the promise granted to every child — that their whole future is ahead of them. There's no right answer. What’s right in this world anyway?