🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 506, 2023 - February 23, 2025 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 506 that 63 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

“I’ve never met them,

But I miss them. 

I’ve never met them,

but I think of them every second. 

I’ve never met them,

but they are my family. 

BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”

We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

*

Hostage Updates 

• With orange hearts and words of gratitude: The moving post by Yarden Bibas
  In a post published in the "Damaged Dad - Surviving Together" group, Bibas thanked the community that supported him throughout the difficult journey, hours after the identification of his wife, Shiri. "Thank you to each and every one of you who cared, prayed, and helped my family and me," he wrote, adding orange hearts—a symbol of the ginger hair of his children, Ariel and Kfir, who were murdered along with their mother in captivity.
  
  Hours after Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the identification of Shiri Bibas, whose body was returned from Gaza, a day after receiving the news that their children, Ariel and Kfir, had been murdered in captivity, Yarden Bibas chose to write and thank one of the groups that accompanied him and his family during this difficult journey.
  
  In an emotional post he shared, accompanied by orange hearts—a symbol of the ginger hair of his children, Ariel and Kfir—he wrote to the "Damaged Dad - Surviving Together" community: "There is no doubt that this group is more than just another regular Facebook group. It is a group of good and supportive people who are willing to help in any way possible! Thank you to each and every one of you, I deeply appreciate it, it is not something to be taken for granted!"

  

  (Photo: From the Facebook page "Damaged Dad - Surviving Together")

  
  

  Yarden Bibas meets with his family for the first time after captivity (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

  

  The Bibas family (Photo: Courtesy of the family)

  

  In memory of Shiri and the children. Hostage Square (Photo: AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

  
  Last night, between Friday and Saturday, Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the identification of the body of Shiri Bibas, Yarden's wife, who was abducted from her home along with her young children, Ariel and Kfir. According to professional estimates, Shiri was murdered by terrorists in the early weeks of the war. Her body was returned to Israel after 16 months, a day after the bodies of her children were identified.
  
  The IDF spokesperson stated that the children were "brutally murdered in Gaza in the early weeks of the war by cold-blooded terrorists," clarifying that they were not killed in an airstrike as Hamas had claimed.
  
  Later, the Bibas family stated: "Tonight, our Shiri was brought home. We received the news we feared. Despite our fears for their fate, we continued to hope that we would get to hug them, and now we are in pain and broken."

  

  Hashalom (Peace) Station in Tel Aviv lit in orange (Photo: Shabtai Tal, Israel Railways)

  

  (Photo: Shabtai Tal, Israel Railways)
  
  This evening, the train stations in Be'er Sheva and Tel Aviv were lit in orange in memory of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, and in memory of Oded Lifshitz. Additionally, digital signs were displayed in all train stations in their memory.
  
  
• Hostage’s mother to PM: Free all the hostages, in one batch, now

  

  Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker speaks during a protest for the release of the Gaza captives, in Tel Aviv, February 15, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

  
  

  Einav Zangauker hails the release of the six hostages today and says the hearts of all the hostage families are with the families of slain hostages Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz.

  
  

  But addressing a Tel Aviv protest, Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage, notes that 63 hostages are still “in hell in Gaza.”

  
  

  She highlights the joy in Israel at today’s releases and says: “It must not be that the deal is stopped and that we return to fighting.”

  
  

  Zangauker notes an ostensible Hamas proposal to release the rest of the hostages in one go and says the Americans want all the hostages back at once and so does most of the Israeli public. “One batch, right away,” she urges.

  
  

  She denounces what she says is a “disconnected government” that is instead preparing for a return to the war. She charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who she says created the entire phased process, is “dragging his feet… trying to please his extremist coalition partners at the price of the blood of Matan and the rest of the hostages.

  
  

  “Hostages first… All of them now,” she urges Netanyahu. It can’t be that Trump and envoy Steve Witkoff want this more than the prime minister, she says. “Netanyahu, these are your citizens, abandoned on your watch.”

  
  

  
  
• ‘We didn’t think Hamas would be so cruel’: Dad of freed hostage al-Sayed says son ‘destroyed, emotionally and cognitively’

  

  Hisham al-Sayed is handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza on February 22, 2025. (Hamas media office)

  
  

  The father of freed hostage Hisham al-Sayed tells Kan radio that he is shocked by the poor mental and physical state of his son following his release from nearly 10 years of Hamas captivity, adding that Hisham is “destroyed, emotionally and cognitively.”

  
  

  “His mental condition is in a bad state, he doesn’t communicate, and he looks like he was in a torture camp for 10 years,” says Sha’ban al-Sayed. “We didn’t think to ourselves that Hamas would be so cruel.”

  
  

  
  
  
• Families of hostages Eviatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal okay publication of Hamas propaganda clip from today

  

  Hostages Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal speak in a Hamas propaganda video filmed at the site and timing of the release ceremony in Gaza for three other captives, February 22, 2025. (Screenshot: Telegram)

  
  

  The families of Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal have approved the publication of Hamas’s propaganda video, in which the two hostages are seen being brought to watch the release of three other captives today.

  
  

  David and Gilboa-Dalal were brought by Hamas to a stage set up by the terror group in central Gaza’s Nuseirat to watch Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert be freed from captivity after 505 days.

  
  

  The two best friends are seen in the video calling on Israeli officials to secure their release, in remarks almost certainly dictated by their captors.

  
  

  David’s sister, Yeela, calls Hamas “monsters” after watching the clip, saying on Instagram: “They are alive. They put both of them this morning in the most horrifying and evil situation they could be. There is no limit to the messed-up cynicism of these monsters. I admire you, my brothers.”

  
  

  The Hostages and Missing Families Forum reacts by highlighting the “difficult and cruel psychological torment” the remaining hostages have been undergoing for 505 days, beyond the “inhuman physical conditions.”

  
  

  “They are running out of time!” it adds. “The Israeli government and the prime minister must expedite the negotiations and bring about the immediate return of all the hostages, without delays and without trickles” of captives in multiple batches.

  
  

  Both hostages are not slated for release in the current phase of the ceasefire deal.

  
  

  It is the first sign of life from David that has been made public since he was abducted on October 7, 2023, and the first sign of life from Gilboa-Dalal that is from later than June 2024.

  
  
  
• **Held in Tunnels Under Harsh Conditions: The Testimonies of Tal, Omer, Omer, and Eliya from Captivity**

  

  
  

  Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert were held together and developed a "brotherly bond" between them. Eliya Cohen was held with Or, Eli, and Alon, most of the time in complete darkness. Omer Shem Tov lost 17 kilograms and was forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman.

  
  

  The hostages who returned yesterday (Saturday) from Hamas captivity shared the hell they endured in Gaza for 505 days. Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov, Tal Shoham, and Eliya Cohen were held for most of the time in tunnels under extremely harsh conditions.

  
  

  ### The Conditions in Which Eliya Cohen Was Held

  

  
  

  - Eliya was held for most of his captivity with Or Levi, Eli Sharabi, and Alon Ohl.

  - He was shackled part of the time, not only on his legs but also on his hands.

  - He was shot in his leg and did not receive proper treatment; the shackles caused him severe cuts.

  - For long months, the three hostages did not stand on their feet.

  - They mostly stayed in a tunnel in complete darkness, with the terrorists lowering a flashlight for a few hours.

  - The hostages suffered from deliberate starvation. The terrorists intentionally ate in front of them.

  - Eliya was almost completely cut off from the media and did not know until today that his partner, Ziv Abod, had survived the death shelter.

  
  

  ### "I Was Alone in the Tunnels": The Testimony of Omer Shem Tov

  

  
  

  Omer Shem Tov was held at the beginning of his captivity with Itay Regev, who was released in the first deal in November 2023. Omer said, "I was alone in captivity from the 50th day. After Itay was released, I remained alone. I was in the tunnels all the time. Occasionally, I was exposed to the media, I watched Al Jazeera, and it strengthened me."

  
  

  Omer was alone from the 50th day and lost 17 kilograms.  

  He was moved between apartments and tunnels and was forced to disguise himself as a Muslim woman during transitions between hiding places.  

  He was lowered into a tunnel using a small bucket.  

  Part of the time, he was handcuffed and endured curses and spitting.  

  He heard the Prime Minister on TV and feared when he spoke about destroying Hamas without mentioning the hostages.  

  He tried to maintain tradition and occasionally made Kiddush with the little he had in captivity.  

  Hamas gunmen forced him to "kiss" the guard during the release ceremony.

  
  

  ### The Hell Endured in the Tunnels by Omer Wenkert and Tal Shoham

  

  
  

  Tal Shoham and Omer Wenkert were held together for 8 months.  

  There was severe humidity in the tunnels; according to them, "all seasons felt the same."  

  The two lost significant weight, but before their release, they were "fattened up" with a lot of food.  

  They assumed Tal would be released before Omer due to his age and family status and planned to pass messages through him.  

  A "brotherly bond" developed between them.

  
  

  Omer Wenkert was in the tunnel most of the time.  

  Throughout his captivity, Omer was cut off from the media and knew nothing about the efforts to secure his release.  

  Omer left friends behind in the tunnels.  

  As soon as he returned, Omer brought with him several signs of life from other hostages.  

  The first thing Omer requested was to be part of the struggle for those left behind.  

  
  

  
  
• ‘No greater cruelty’: Father decries Hamas forcing hostage son watch others be freed

  

  Meirav Gilboa-Dalal and Ilan Dalal sit in the sukkah, waiting for their son Guy to be released from Hamas captivity (Courtesy)

  The families of Eviatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal are expressing horror and revulsion at a Hamas propaganda video showing the two hostages being brought to watch other Israelis being released and begging for their own freedom.

  “They forced them to watch their friends being released and then returned them to the tunnels. There is no greater cruelty,” Dalal’s father Ilan Dalal says. “They can’t continue. It’s simply inhumane.”

  Dalal says he supported the decision for Israeli networks to broadcast the Hamas propaganda clip in hopes it will help illustrate their dire situation and help push through a second stage of the ceasefire deal, which would see the two freed, along with nearly two dozen other living hostages. However, he adds that he assumed the two were coached on what to say, making their words meaningless, though not their body language.

  “Guy is thinner, his eyes looked scared, but it was Guy, his voice and his movements were like Guy,” Dalal says.

  He notes that neither appeared to be injured, and were likely not as bad off as some others, but were still “relatively thin, and had gone through severe psychological torture.”

  

  Hostages Eviatar David (left) and Guy Gilboa-Dalal speak in a Hamas propaganda video filmed at the site and time of the release ceremony in Gaza for three other captives, February 22, 2025. (Screenshot: Telegram)

  Guy Dalal’s sister is quoted by Walla saying in a missive to her brother that she is “heartbroken with longing” for him, but expresses confidence that he and David “will return to us soon. Until then we won’t stop fighting with all our might.”

  In the US, Elise Stefanik, President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the UN, says she was with brothers of Gilboa Dalal and David at a speech by Trump when the video was released.

  “Hamas’ evil depravity knows no bounds.” she writes on X. “The inhumane treatment of innocent Israeli hostages forced to watch others return home while they were then taken back into captivity further exposes that this is a war is between good and evil.

  
  
• **Survived the October 7th Massacre and Learned Arabic in Captivity: The Unbelievable Story of Karina Ariev**
  
  
  The observer from Nahal Oz was forced to play dead as terrorists carried out executions of her friends during the day of the massacre. In captivity, she experienced sexual harassment and managed to stop it by confronting a terrorist. She told the Chief of Staff: "We were in life-threatening danger from IDF bombings."
  
  
  For 477 days of hell, observer Karina Ariev survived Hamas captivity in Gaza. Last night (Saturday), we reported on "Weekend News" about her unbelievable story of captivity, her bravery, and how she managed to survive the horrors of October 7th. Karina speaks slowly and at her own pace about what happened in captivity, and she remembers a lot.
  
  
  During the October 7th massacre, Karina was in a shelter in Nahal Oz and was very close to fainting and losing consciousness. She managed to act bravely and deflect a grenade thrown at her by the terrorists. Later, while injured and lying on the floor, she decided to play dead, as she saw the terrorists' murderous rampage around her and thought it would save her.

  

  
  
  
  
  ### New Details About Karina Ariev's Abduction and Captivity
  At one point, a terrorist approached Karina and began pulling her hands to check if she was alive. Meanwhile, other terrorists carried out executions in the shelter of soldiers lying on the ground. Very quickly, the terrorist realized Karina was alive, pulled her, and began shackling her. A split second separated her from being murdered to being abducted. In her meeting with the Chief of Staff, Karina said that October 7th was the hardest day for her.
  
  
  On the way to Gaza in a jeep, the terrorists beat her, choked her, stole the hamsa necklace she had worn since childhood, pulled her hair, placed her on the scorching-hot jeep, and caused burns on her body.
  
  
  ### Sexual Harassment and Fear of IDF Bombings
  During her captivity, the terrorists suspected she was an officer. She learned Arabic within a month and understood the terrorists. She said that at times, verbal insults and degrading remarks were directed at her, but she did not experience physical violence. During her time in captivity, Karina experienced sexual harassment, but it stopped after she warned one of her captors that if it continued, she would report it to his commander, who had explicitly forbidden it.
  
  
  Karina told the Chief of Staff, among other things, that she and Daniela, who was with her in captivity, heard and physically felt the IDF bombings, and that most of the time they were in life-threatening danger. Occasionally, Karina watched TV and once saw her parents, Albert and Ira, in the Hostages Square. When she heard the radio, she was able to hear the voice of her older sister, Sasha.
  
  
  ### Hearing About Her Release
  She heard about her release from the terrorists only two days before the day she was freed. She was very emotional but also very afraid that something might go wrong. Karina said she feels she survived to commemorate and remember all the soldiers of the Nahal Oz outpost. She intends to continue working to bring all the hostages home.
  
  
  
• Al-Mujahedeen: The fringe terror group behind murder of Bibas children

  Radical Salafi organization operated independently in Gaza for over two decades; faction falsely claims Bibas family was killed in Israeli airstrike, though intel confirms execution while in captivity
  The extremist Salafi organization Al-Mujahedeen ("Lords of the Wilderness") is the group that held Shiri Bibas and her two young children, Ariel and Kfir, after they were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led October 7 attack. According to Israeli assessments, the group murdered them in captivity as early as November 2023.
  

  Al-Mujahedeen was founded at the start of the Second Intifada in 2001, breaking away from Fatah. It initially operated as a faction of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades before becoming an independent militant group. The organization follows a radical Salafi ideology, which seeks to return to what it considers the fundamental roots of Islam, advocating extreme measures to achieve its goals.

  

  
  
  

  The group was initially led by Omar Abu-Sharia, whom Israel attempted to eliminate in 2006. He succumbed to his injuries six months later. Over the years, Al-Mujahedeen has carried out numerous attacks and has positioned itself as a violent extremist faction within Gaza. Unlike Hamas, which governs the enclave, Al-Mujahedeen maintains a distinct identity, often aligning with global jihadist movements.
  

  During the ongoing war in Gaza, the organization claimed to have suffered significant losses, including key members of its leadership. In April 2023, it announced the deaths of several senior operatives, including the commander of its rocket unit in central Gaza, a senior figure in the Deir al-Balah battalion, and a member of its elite unit in the same area.
  

  After the October 7 attack, Hamas transferred some hostages to smaller armed factions, including Al-Mujahedeen. Shiri Bibas and her children were among those handed over. According to Israeli intelligence, they were held in Khan Younis before being murdered. The group falsely claimed that the Bibas family was killed in an Israeli airstrike, but IDF officials have confirmed that the children were brutally executed in captivity.
  

  Al-Mujahedeen's actions underscore the fragmentation of militant groups within Gaza and the brutality faced by hostages held by factions beyond Hamas itself. Israeli authorities continue to demand the return of Shiri Bibas' body, along with all remaining hostages.  link
  
  
  
  
• Gaza captor told hostages that Hamas collaborates with US campus protesters, lawsuit alleges

  
  

  Case filed by three former hostages against US nonprofit says member of terror group who held them claimed to be working with ‘allies’ at universities and in the media
  

  

  Anti-Israel activists protest outside Columbia University, January 21, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

  
  

  A Hamas member who held Israelis hostage in Gaza told the captives that the terror group was coordinating with “allies” on college campuses and in the media, according to a lawsuit filed in US court on Friday.

  
  

  The lawsuit was filed by former hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv. All three were taken from the Nova music festival in southern Israel during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.

  
  

  They were held in Gaza by Abdallah Aljamal, according to the lawsuit and the IDF. Aljamal was a writer for the Palestine Chronicle, a news outlet run by the People Media Project, a US-based, tax-exempt nonprofit that is the focus of the lawsuit.

  
  

  The hostages were rescued after 246 days in captivity in an IDF operation in June that also extracted hostage Noa Argamani, who was held separately nearby. Aljamal, his wife Fatima and his father Ahmad Aljamal were all killed during the hostage rescue mission. The family’s children survived.

  
  

  Jan initially filed the lawsuit last year. The judge in the case filed a motion to dismiss the case last month, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the defendants were aware that Aljamal was a Hamas operative. The judge allowed Jan to refile an amended complaint, however.

  
  

  The new complaint was filed on Friday, adding Kozlov and Ziv as plaintiffs. The lawsuit, backed by the National Jewish Advocacy Center, was filed in a federal court in Washington State, where the People Media Project is based.

  
  

  The case argues that the Palestine Chronicle provided Aljamal with a platform to “disseminate Hamas propaganda,” providing material support to a US-designated terrorist organization, in violation of international law.

  
  

  According to the amended complaint, Ziv said Aljamal “repeatedly expressed his hatred for the State of Israel and the United States,” and told the hostages that “Hamas was in contact and actively coordinating with its affiliates in the media and on college campuses.”
  

  

  Abdallah Aljamal, who was holding three Israeli hostages captive in his home in central Gaza’s Nuseirat. Aljamal was killed and the hostages were rescued on June 8, 2024. (Social media)

  
  

  Aljamal told the hostages that “Hamas was going to ensure that the United States, as well as Jews and Israelis, are hated everywhere and that Hamas in Gaza was coordinating with its allies, including its allies in the media and on college campuses, to foment hatred against Israel and Jews,” the complaint said.

  
  

  There were no further details about the cooperation between the terror group and campus protesters or the media.

  
  

  The Palestine Chronicle was reporting about US campus protests around the same time, and in August 2024, published an article about Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal urging university students to protest.

  
  

  Aljamal was previously a spokesperson for the Hamas-run labor ministry in Gaza. He was open about his affiliation with the terror group, appearing publicly in Arabic media as a spokesperson and posting Hamas graphics and photos of his son wearing a Hamas headband on social media. He began writing for the Palestine Chronicle in 2019 while still serving as a spokesperson for Hamas’s labor ministry, according to the lawsuit.

  
  

  Aljamal appears to have had foreknowledge of the Hamas attack. On October 7, at 5:43 a.m., immediately before the invasion, he posted a message on TikTok that said, “O God, guide us.. O God, grant us the victory that you promised.. O God, acceptance, acceptance, acceptance.. Your victory, O God,” followed by a heart emoji.

  
  

  Later in the day, Aljamal praised the attack on Facebook.

  
  

  He began writing for the Palestine Chronicle more frequently after the attack, sometimes publishing multiple articles per day, while he was holding the Israelis hostage and communicating with the outlet’s staff in the US.

  

  Israeli hostages pictured after their rescue from Hamas captivity in Gaza on June 8, 2024. From left: Shlomi Ziv (IDF); Andrey Kozlov and Almog Meir Jan (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90); and Noa Argamani (Courtesy).

  
  

  His social media activity, personal correspondence with the defendants, and public position with Hamas meant that the defendants were aware of his connections to the terror group, the lawsuit argues.

  
  

  Defendant Ramzy Baroud, the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle and head of the People Media Project, and Aljamal are from the same town in Gaza and in 2017, co-authored an article for Al Jazeera.

  
  

  Immediately after the hostage rescue, the Palestine Chronicle changed Aljamal’s description on its website from “correspondent” to “contributor,” then later described him as a “freelance contributor” writing on “a voluntary basis.” It also eulogized him in an article after his death, calling him a “well-known journalist murdered in Gaza,” and denied that he had been holding the hostages.

  
  

  The hostages were aware that Aljamal was communicating with terror groups, recording footage and writing about their own captivity, the complaint said. All three were “terrorized” during their captivity, subjected to arbitrary punishment, physical threats, and physical and psychological abuse, the lawsuit said.

  
  

  The outlet’s tax-exempt status means US taxpayers were subsidizing Hamas propaganda published to a US audience, the lawsuit argues, adding that the salary he was paid also helped him imprison the hostages.

  
  

  The Palestine Chronicle and lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
  
  

Gaza and the South

•  Trump says he’s ‘not forcing’ plan to take over Gaza after pushback

  Donald Trump briefly mused about Israel’s decision, in 2005, to unilaterally evacuate its settlements and soldiers from Gaza.

  US President Donald Trump said Friday he would “recommend” — but was “not forcing” — his plan to depopulate the Gaza Strip and have the United States take it over, as Arab states have roundly rejected the idea and tensions mount over the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal. 

  
  

  Speaking to Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, Trump also repeated his comparison of recently returned Israeli hostages to Holocaust survivors, and ridiculed former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s 2005 unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.

  
  

  “I’ll tell you the way to do it is my plan. I think that’s the plan that really works,” Trump said. “But I’m not forcing it. I’m just going to sit back and recommend it. And then the U.S. would own the site, there’d be no Hamas. And they’d be developed and you’d start all over again with a clean slate.”

  The notion that Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza’s entire population is merely a recommendation marks a shift for him. He has repeatedly pressed Jordan and Egypt, neighboring states that have peace deals with Israel, to accept Palestinians from Gaza, citing the amount of aid the United States provides them. And he has likewise repeated his proposal for the United States to take control of the territory, a plan Israel’s government has endorsed.

  
  

  Trump has predicted that Arab states would come around to the idea of depopulating Gaza, but they have not, aside from Jordan agreeing to take in 2,000 sick children. On Friday, a group of them met to compose an alternative plan that would leave Gaza’s population of approximately 2 million in place.
  But even as he signaled in the interview that he would not insist on his plan, Trump touted it.

  
  

  “It’s really essentially leveled now, you don’t have too much to do other than remove debris,” he said about the Gaza Strip. “That place is not livable. And if you gave people the choice between that and living in a nice community, I think I know where they’d go. But we’ll see what happens.
  
  ”Trump discusses Israel's past decisions

  Then the president briefly mused about Israel’s decision, in 2005, to unilaterally evacuate its settlements and soldiers from Gaza and hand the territory over to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

  
  

  “It’s a great location. I don’t know why Israel ever gave that up. Why’d they give it up?” Trump said. Without naming Sharon directly (though Kilmeade did) Trump went on, “Somebody from Israel, I can’t tell you who, but was well known, decided to give it up. It’s one of the bad real estate deals.”

  
  

  Describing Hamas’ return of the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, whose coffins they paraded on a stage as part of a gruesome ceremony, as “barbaric,” Trump said he understood why current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be “angry.” 
  

  When asked whether he would prefer Netanyahu prioritizing rescuing the remaining Hostages or trying to finish off Hamas, the president said he would accept either.  link

  Everyone knows that Trump is not predictable or consistent. He sees everything as a business deal and everything for him is transactional. I have no doubt that he was very surprised that both Jordan and Egypt pushed back on his Gaza plan even at the risk or losing all US aid money that both governments depend on strongly for their yearly budgets. I am sure that a bigger surprise was the push back and refusal of Saudi Arabia as he has seen so much of his dealings with the Saudis to be transactional.
  King Abdullah of Jordan said that he believes Trump just threw out the Gaza plan only as an idea, since there is no real plan, in order to get people thinking of alternatives. I tend to doubt this. I believe he really did see this as a real estate deal and an opportunity for him and his family to rake in billions.  Waking up to the fact that the world is not jumping at his idea and is giving major pushback, he is walking it back and waiting to hear what the Arab Nations are going to propose. One thing is sure about the Arab plan is that it will not include Hamas but will include a Palestinian leadership that is either directly or peripherally connected to the PA. For Netanyahu, this is a non starter and as such, he will keep Hamas in Gaza as the ruling power there. None of the Arab countries will invest a penny in rebuilding Gaza unless the Palestinian leadership is the ruling body. Anything else is seen as temporary and they will not invest in temporary knowing that a war in 2-5 years will wipe out any of the investments and buildings.
  The worst part of Trump's statements: "When asked whether he would prefer Netanyahu prioritizing rescuing the remaining Hostages or trying to finish off Hamas, the president said he would accept either." This gives Netanyahu the US green light to abandon the hostages once again in order for Netanyahu to keep his war going. It was Trump's pressure on Netanyahu that actually forced him to go forward with Phase 1 of the hostage deal which will end with the repatriation of 4 more hostage bodies this thursday and the entire hostage family community was hoping that Trump's original declarations to bring home all the hostages would be the necessary force to get Netanyahu to do that and end the war. But Trump is easily swayed by people like Netanyahu and that is no longer the priority. He is now fine with Netanyahu doing whatever he wants to do and it is not in the interests of the hostages or the country.  With any luck, Trump's emissary Wycoff and one of his major donors, Miriam Adelson will push Trump to change his mind again and push Netanyahu to get the deal done and bring home all the hostages.

  
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• IDF confirms it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon
  

  The IDF confirms carrying out airstrikes in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

  One of the targets was a Hezbollah military site containing rocket launchers and other weapons, where the military says it identified activity by the terror group.

  The military says Hezbollah’s activity at the site is a “violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

  Additionally, the IDF says it struck several more Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, “which posed a threat to Israeli civilians.”

• Hezbollah leader says terror group will continue to follow Nasrallah’s will: ‘I am loyal to the legacy’
  

  

  
  The coffins containing the bodies of Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah and his cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine are carried on a trailer at the beginning of a funeral procession at the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

  Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says the terror group will keep following the path of slain chief Hassan Nasrallah during a televised speech broadcast at his massive funeral on the outskirts of Beirut.

  “We will uphold trust and walk on this path, we will uphold your will,” Qassem says referring to Nasrallah, adding: “You are still with us, your… path and struggle live within us” and “I am loyal to the legacy Nasrallah.”

  Katz confirms IDF fighter jets buzzed Nasrallah’s Beirut funeral ceremony
  

  Defense Minister Israel Katz confirms Israeli fighter jets buzzed over the funeral ceremony for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the Lebanese capital a short while ago.

  “Israeli Air Force aircraft currently flying over Beirut, over the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, convey a clear message: Those who threaten to destroy Israel and attack Israel, it will be their end,” he says in a statement.

  “You will specialize in funerals, and we will in victories,” Katz adds.

  Reports of fresh IDF airstrikes in Lebanon as Nasrallah’s funeral begins in Beirut
  Lebanese media reports fresh Israeli airstrikes near the town of Bodai in the Baalbek District of northeastern Lebanon, and near al-Ahmadiya in southern Lebanon.

  There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

  The strikes come as the funeral for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah begins in Beirut.

  
  

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

• IDF deploys tanks to West Bank for first time since 2002
  

  The IDF confirms it has deployed tanks to the West Bank as it expands its ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the Jenin area.

  It marks the first time since the 2002 Operation Defensive Shield that IDF tanks are operating in the West Bank.

  Troops of the Nahal Infantry Brigade and the Duvdevan Commando Unit began operations in several villages near Jenin this morning, the military says.

  At the same time, a platoon from the 188th Armored Brigade is preparing to operate in Jenin, the army says. Palestinian media published images showing three tanks in the area.

  The IDF has been carrying out a major offensive in the northern West Bank, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, since January 21.

• Security forces arrest 10 on suspicion of smuggling weapons from Jordan into Israel

  
  Four long-barreled guns confiscated in operation against a Negev-based arms smuggling ring on February 23, 2025. (Israel Police)

  Police and Shin Bet agents arrested 10 people suspected of smuggling arms from Jordan into Israel, spokespeople for the agencies say in a joint statement.

  The suspects — nine Israeli citizens and one West Bank Palestinian — were arrested over the course of the past two months. Security forces confiscated 34 pistols and four long-barreled guns during the investigation.

  The State Attorney’s Office indicted the suspects on a plethora of charges including arms smuggling, carrying and transporting weapons, arms possession, damage to IDF property, aiding illegal exit from the country and drug offenses.

  According to the statement, the suspects organized two sophisticated arms smuggling operations across the border between Israel and Jordan during the latter half of 2024.

  At the helm of the operation was 28-year-old Fawaz al-Toukhi, a resident of the Negev Bedouin town Bir Hadaj, who allegedly recruited others to the ring and paid them tens of thousands of shekels for their involvement.
  Officials stress the security risk posed by arms smuggling, noting that two pistols smuggled into Israel were used in terror attacks in which two police officers were killed last October.

• PA security forces disperse Ramallah rally honoring slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah
  

  Palestinian Authority security forces disperse a rally honoring slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Ramallah.

  Before police broke up the sparse West Bank event where a few dozen demonstrators held posters with Nasrallah’s face in the city’s downtown.

  The rally comes as the funeral is held in Beirut for the terror chief, who was killed in an Israeli strike five months ago

• Katz says he instructed IDF to stay for year in West Bank refugee camps and not allow 40,000 residents home
  

  Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed the IDF to stay for the next year in West Bank refugee camps that have been cleared of terror operatives and civilians, and not allow anyone to return.

  “40,000 Palestinians have so far evacuated from the Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps, and are now empty of residents. UNRWA activity in the camps has also been stopped.” Katz says in a written statement.

  He says the IDF is clearing the “nests of terror” of terrorists and destroying infrastructure and weapons “on an extensive scale.”

  “I instructed the IDF to prepare for a long stay in the camps that were cleared, for the coming year, and not allow residents to return and the terror to return and grow,” Katz says.

  “We will not return to the reality that was in the past. We will continue to clear refugee camps and other terror centers to dismantle the battalions and terror infrastructure of the extreme Islam that was built, armed, funded and supported by the Iranian evil axis, in an attempt to establish an eastern terror front,” he adds.  link This action by the defense minister is patently illegal. It is a forced transfer, temporary or otherwise of 40,000 refugees over which we are the military occupiers. I have no doubt that this will be brought immediately before the Supreme Court where it is likely to be shot down as illegal both by Israel and internationally. And I also have no doubt that this will be used against us as a country in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in Hague as part and parcel of Ethnic Cleansing which we are already being accused of.

  
  

Politics and the War (general news)

• High Court gives government another delay for answer on establishing Oct. 7 state commission of inquiry
  
  

  
  Israeli soldiers walking next to buildings destroyed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, November 21, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

  The High Court of Justice agrees to a request by the government to grant it another 90 days before updating the court as to its position on establishing a state commission of inquiry into the failures leading up to, during and after the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and atrocities.

  The government must now provide the court with a new update by May 11.

  The government informed the court earlier this month that the cabinet held a hearing on the issue, in accordance with a ruling by the High Court in December last year ordering the government to hold such a hearing within 60 days, and that the “overwhelming majority” of ministers were of the opinion that the “time was not ripe” to establish a commission.

  The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which petitioned the High Court demanding a state commission of inquiry, described that cabinet meeting as “a new pinnacle in shirking responsibility and contempt for the public.”

  The government has fiercely opposed the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 catastrophe, originally on the grounds that such an inquiry could not be conducted while Israel was at war, but increasingly due to accusations by several cabinet ministers that such a commission would be biased against the government.

  State commissions of inquiry have been established in the past to look into other military failures, including the events of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon in 1982.

  A government commission of inquiry, in which the government appoints the members of the commission, was established to investigate the failures of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, although it was granted some of the powers of the more rigorous and independent state commissions, including the power to subpoena witnesses.  link At the beginning of the war, so many of these same ministers stated that a State Commission was absolutely necessary. That changed due to following the desire of the failed prime minister who bears so much of the responsibility for October 7, before and after and has done everything to shirk responsibility. The overwhelming majority of the population, over 83% demand a State Commission and we will fight to the ends of the earth to make sure that it comes to be. The purposes of a State commission are multi-fold: so that October 7 can never happen again, to find the faults of all the systems and operations and make necessary corrections both militarily and civil, to understand what led up to October 7 to correct those faults, to determine those directly responsible for what led up to October 7, those responsibility for the failures of October 7, and those responsible for the failures of the handling of the war both militarily and politically, to determine if there were criminal elements of the failures and to indict if there were, to determine if there was political or military negligence and determine if those responsible should ever hold senior military positions of public office again.  Netanyahu knows that he will be found responsible for so many things as well as to blame and potentially criminally negligent as well. Same goes for other members of the government and potentially members of the opposition who held senior military positions in the past. Netanyahu and his cronies want a 'Knesset' commission, which will be a government commission and they will determine the procedures, what can be investigated and what powers they will have, or not have to determine responsibility and blame and they will make sure that their commission will not be able to hold anyone criminally or political responsible. The absurdity of a Knesset Commission is that they would be appointing and determining who would investigate themselves and set the rules for themselves. It's the cat guarding the milk. Totally absurd and fitting for a banana republic

  
  


• Palestinian prisoners over ‘humiliating’ hostage handovers
  Netanyahu demands guarantee that Hamas end ceremonies in which hostages are paraded in front of crowds before freeing inmates, nixing planned release of 600 prisoners Saturday

Israel said early Sunday that it was delaying the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who had been slated to go free Saturday until Jerusalem receives assurances regarding the end of “humiliating ceremonies” staged by Hamas when hostages are handed over.

The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came after over 600 inmates had reportedly already boarded buses to leave Ofer prison, in the largest single-day release of the first stage of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire. Instead, the inmates were told to disembark, their release on indefinite hold.

The prisoners had been slated to be let go as part of a deal for the release of six hostages who were freed by Hamas earlier in the day. But with Israelis fuming over the handling of the transfer of the bodies of mother Shiri Bibas and her two small children murdered in captivity, and new anger sparked by a propaganda video showing hostages being brought to a ceremony where others were being freed, Netanyahu said Israel would demand an end to the gauche fanfare before resuming freeing prisoners.


“In light of the repeated violations by Hamas — including the ceremonies that demean our hostages’ dignity and the cynical use of our hostages for propaganda purposes — it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists planned for yesterday until the next release of hostages is guaranteed, and without the humiliating ceremonies,” read a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office sent just after 1 a.m. Sunday.

Israel’s announcement abruptly put the future of the truce into further doubt.

The Palestinian Authority’s commission for prisoners’ affairs confirmed the delay “until further notice.” Associated Press video in the West Bank showed prisoners’ families, waiting outdoors in near-freezing weather, apparently dispersing. One woman was shown walking away in tears.


Israel’s government didn’t respond to questions about the delay in releasing prisoners. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal, with spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou accusing Netanyahu of “deliberately stalling.”

Five of the six hostages freed Saturday had been escorted by masked, armed Hamas members in front of a crowd — a display that the UN and Red Cross have criticized as cruel after previous handovers.  full article It is well known that Netanyahu, for his personal political reasons, doesn't want to move to Phase 2 of the hostage deal which includes ending the war. He is using the horrendous circumstances of the Bibas family and the continued humiliation of our hostages at each release to give him the 'official excuse' to go back to fighting. He used the Bibas' in his talks with Trump for Trump to give him carte blanc to return to fighting and not end the war. We still have 63 hostages in Hamas' monstrous captivity and Netanyahu is willing to sacrifice all of them, the living and the dead to satisfy his personal interests. He says that the war can't end until Hamas is routed, while he is the one responsible for Hamas still being in control of Gaza. He doesn't want the war to end for multiple reasons that I have stated in the past and will repeat here:
1-ending the war will bring the growing demand for an official independent state commission of inquiry about all that led up to October 7 and the handling of the war, which he has fought since the beginning of the war. He knows that he will be found culpable, responsible and to blame for much of what happened to bring about October 7 and then for his major mismanagement of the war. Instead, he wants a government commission that is determined by his government/him who will be on the commission and what they will be allowed to investigate and they will not be given any power to indict or even recommend indictment of crimes or apply blame that will come with punishment such as no longer being able to serve in public office. It will be a sham investigation.
2- ending the war will bring about mountainous calls for early elections that could put enough political pressure that Netanyahu will not be able to push back. Early elections is the last thing that he wants. He views every day until the official election date in 2026 as time for him to rehabilitate his destroyed image and push his 'successes' in order to blind the public of his responsibility for the worst day in the history of the state and the worst day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He thinks, based on historical evidence that with more time, the collective memory of the public will dim and excuse him for October 7. We will all make sure that doesn't happen.
3- the end of the war would also likely mean that his criminal trials will go into higher gear. He has done all he can for the past 8 years to delay the trials and even though the trials are underway, he is still attempting to use whatever delaying tactics he can to slow down the trial, and he is succeeding. Ending the war will eliminate many of the excuses he has used with the judges to get more and more delays.

Hamas: Israeli delay of prisoner releases over hostage ceremonies a ‘deliberate attempt’ to avoid deal obligations

Hamas condemns Israel’s decision to postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, saying its claim that the hostages’ handover ceremonies are “humiliating” is false and a pretext to evade Israel’s obligations under the Gaza hostage release and ceasefire agreement.

“[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s decision reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, represents a clear violation of its terms, and shows the occupation’s lack of reliability in implementing its obligations,” Ezzat El Rashq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, says in a statement.

Israel said that it was delaying the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who had been slated to go free Saturday until Jerusalem receives assurances regarding the end of “humiliating ceremonies” staged by Hamas when hostages are handed over.

The statement by Netanyahu’s office came after over 600 inmates had reportedly already boarded buses to leave Ofer prison, in the largest single-day release of the first stage of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire. Instead, the inmates were told to disembark, their release on indefinite hold.

The prisoners had been slated to be let go as part of a deal for the release of six hostages who were freed by Hamas earlier in the day. But with Israelis fuming over the handling of the transfer of the bodies of mother Shiri Bibas and her two small children murdered in captivity, and new anger sparked by a propaganda video showing hostages being brought to a ceremony where others were being freed, Netanyahu said Israel would demand an end to the gauche fanfare before resuming freeing prisoners. 

Report: Security officials advised Netanyahu not to halt prisoner releases

 A report suggests that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disregarded the advice of his security chiefs in ordering a halt to Palestinian prisoner releases.
According to Walla news, Netanyahu made the decision during a meeting with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri.
But before the meeting, Netanyahu had held a security consultation with defense officials and other bureaucrats, and participants came away thinking the prisoner releases would be approved, the news site reports, quoting an unnamed Israeli official.
The source says politicians decided to take a stand given the fact that there was a “critical mass” of Hamas violations, including breaking a commitment it apparently gave mediators to cease such displays.
“Not only did the ceremonies not end, but they became even worse,” the source is quoted saying.  link Throughout this war, Netanyahu has ignored the advice of the security heads in favor of his personal political self interests. This is another in a long line of those occurences.

 

The Region and the World

•   US officials: Yemen’s Houthis fired missiles at US fighter jet and drone this week, but missed
  

  Yemen’s Houthis launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and MQ-9 Reaper drone this week, but did not hit either, two US officials tells Reuters.

  The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, do not specify if the attacks occurred over the Red Sea or Yemen itself.

  One says the incidents could suggest the Houthis were improving their targeting capabilities.

  Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who leads the Iran-backed group, said in a televised speech on Feb. 13 that the Houthis would intervene with missiles and drones and attack vessels in the Red Sea if the United States and Israel tried to remove Palestinians from Gaza by force.

  US President Donald Trump has infuriated the Arab world with a plan to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza and take over the enclave to turn it into a beach resort.

  The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off Yemen since November 2023 in support of Gaza’s Palestinian terror groups fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping.

  The Iran-backed movement, which controls northern Yemen, has also frequently fired missiles and drones at Israel over the past year.

Personal Stories

  

The children who returned from captivity celebrated with a ski trip. Then, the video from Gaza was released.

You all know their names: each of them was affected in one way or another by the failures of October 7th. They were kidnapped to Gaza, injured, lost family members, and some are still waiting for their fathers who remain captive in Gaza. In the midst of the current hostage deal, Danny Kushmaro joined this special group on a snow journey organized by the "Reach Out" association, discovering how hard it is to detach from the scars in their hearts—even at the highest point.

The snow in Europe is wonderful now. Ski resorts are filled with skiers speeding down the white slopes. Behind the snow goggles, big coats, and helmets, it's a bit hard to notice that among the thousands of skiers, there is a group of young boys and girls, children who came here to the peaks of the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria from the lowest place one can imagine.

**Uri Magidish** – Kidnapped to Gaza from the Nahal Oz base and rescued by the IDF in October 2023.  

**Eitan Yahalomi** – 12 years old from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kidnapped and returned after 52 days. His father, Ohad, is still in Gaza.  

**Gaia and Sahar Calderon** – 17 and 21 years old from Nir Oz. Sahar was kidnapped with their father, Ofer, and brother, Erez. Sahar and Erez returned after 52 days; their father returned in the latest hostage deal.  

**Ohad Munder** – 9 years old, kidnapped with his mother, Keren, and grandmother, Ruthi, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and returned with them after 50 days. His grandfather, Avraham, was kidnapped, murdered in captivity, and his body was returned to Israel.  

**Or and Yagil Yaakov** – 17 and 13 years old from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their father was murdered; they returned after 52 days. Their father's body is still in Gaza.  

**Alma Or** – 13 years old from Kibbutz Be’eri. Her parents were murdered; she and her brother, Noam, were kidnapped and returned after 50 days. Her father's body is still in Gaza.  

**Hila Rotem Shoshani** – 13 years old from Kibbutz Be’eri. Kidnapped with her mother, Raya. She returned after 50 days, and her mother five days later.  

**Dafna and Ela Elikim** – 15 and 9 years old from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Their father was murdered; they were kidnapped and returned after 51 days.  

**Ofri Brodetz** – 10 years old from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Kidnapped with her mother, Hagar, and brothers, Yuval and Uriya; they returned after 51 days.  

**Emily Hand** – 10 years old from Kibbutz Be’eri. Kidnapped and returned after 50 days.  

**Mika and Yuval Engel** – 19 and 12 years old from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their father was murdered; they were kidnapped with their mother, Karina, and returned after 52 days. Their father's body is still in Gaza.  

**Gali Tarshansky** – 13 years old from Kibbutz Be’eri. Her brother was murdered; she was kidnapped to Gaza and returned after 54 days.  

**Ofir and Oren Sharabi** – 13 and 15 years old from Kibbutz Be’eri. Their father, Yossi, was kidnapped to Gaza and murdered in captivity; his body is still there. Their uncle, Eli, returned in the latest hostage deal.

I meet them at the airport, and we pass by pictures of hostages still there—some of whom are their relatives. After landing, as we put on our ski gear, I ask Gaia and Sahar if they know that six more hostages are being released this week. "Yes, of course, finally," they say, "Arbel Yehud and the observers, we waited a long time for Arbel. Maybe we'll return from here to Dad, Amen"—words that sound prophetic after their father, Ofer, returned from Gaza.

"Maybe we'll return from here to Dad, Amen." The wish of Sahar and Gaia Calderon came true.

**"Making humor about myself and captivity"**

Here in the snow, Uri Magidish, the brave observer who was kidnapped and rescued in a military operation—but her heart is thousands of kilometers away, in Gaza, with her fellow observers. More than a year later, they too are now emerging from the hell of Gaza. As Uri conquers another peak, the observers conquered the hearts of an entire nation when they emerged from captivity, standing tall and smiling.

Yagil Yaakov imitates his mother, Ranna, singing "Bring My Boys." "I'm teasing her. Just imitating her when she tried to get us back. She went to the UN, to the Qatari ambassadors, and that's how she would talk," and immediately after, he sings an Omer Adam song in the snow and says, "He should start a concert already, I want to be in the front row. VIP. I deserve it. I was a hostage." Then he admits: "I joke around on the street and make humor about myself and captivity and everything, but it's all a mask—inside, I'm empty, just longing for Dad, for the kibbutz."

Even while skiing, her heart is thousands of kilometers away, in Gaza, with her fellow observers. Uri Magidish.

"The question that annoys me the most is 'How was it there in Gaza?'" The children who returned from captivity and went on a ski trip.

**"It's annoying when people ask what I did there in Gaza"**

What's the most annoying question people ask you?

Ohad Munder: "The question that annoys me the most is 'How was it there?'"

Like, 'It was fun! Parties and chocolates.'

"Yes, exactly," Ohad replies sarcastically.

Do people recognize you on the street?

Ohad Munder: "Yes, less now, now there's all the hype about the hostages who returned."

Ofri Brodetz: "Yes, that's also an annoying question, and the question 'What did you do there?'"

Do you think this changed you in any way?

Ohad Munder: "Yes, it changed, in many ways, but the main thing is the nerves—I get angry a bit faster now."

You're more hot-tempered, quicker to anger.

Ohad Munder: "More, yes, yes."

Ofri, did it change you in any way?

Ofri Brodetz: "In my fears."

"There's a change in fears." Ofri Brodetz and Ohad Munder on the ski trip.

**The video that disrupted the plans and the party**

We go out to have fun in the city, and the kids go wild with the music. We tried to escape a bit from what's happening in Israel, from the endless news cycle. But it's not really possible, especially not with a group like this. Especially not when, in the middle of a party celebrating joy and youth, a sad video suddenly appears on everyone's phones of someone they know so well: Arbel Yehud speaking from captivity in Gaza, a day before she was released. The close familiarity with Arbel Yehud, who was the counselor for some of the children, shook and saddened them. Ela Elikim started crying and saying she wanted her mom.

"There's always this dissonance," I say to Kipi (Shai Kaplan), our sound guy, "They're celebrating life, happy and singing 'May I always have only good,' and suddenly Arbel's video comes out," and he replies: "Yes, but we've known these kids for so long, and at the end of the day, they're kids, and they all want to return to normal life, like before."

Yehud's video from captivity interrupted the party.

Intense emotions arose after watching Arbel Yehud's video from captivity.

Yes, and then reality hits you.

Kaplan: "This happens almost every other day with them. That's why they're strong kids."

And it all brings back the trauma, you think you've escaped the trauma, and then it comes back.

Kaplan: "Right, and even the snow doesn't blur that."

**"Exposed to a storm of emotions every second"**

The one who is close to the children and also initiated and funded this ski trip is the "Reach Out" association. After his son recovered from cancer, Avraham Atar, a man with a big heart, decided almost 20 years ago to establish an association to help other children with cancer. But in the past year, children with a problem we hadn't known before were added: survivors of captivity. Also, those whose family members were kidnapped.

Eitan Yahalomi: "Angry at those who say the deal is bad." Eitan Yahalomi, whose father is in Gaza and whose name is on the list.

"This whole trip is joy mixed with... really up and down," Atar shares. "A lot of drama within one situation—you're exposed to a storm of emotions every second that you can't even describe in words. If you look into Eitan Yahalomi's eyes, for example, you see his pain, his fear, whether his father is alive or not."

"I was at the Western Wall with Yagil and Erez Calderon," he continues, "and I asked the rabbi to bless Erez that his father would be at his bar mitzvah. That was two months ago. And then Yagil came to me and said, 'Why don't you ask the rabbi to bless me too, that my father will return? So what if my father was murdered? I don't have a grave to hug him. I have no way to visit or mourn him.' I just stayed silent, I didn't know what to say. I looked at him..."

"It's all a mask." Yagil Yaakov.

**"I have unpublished videos from Gaza"**

Arbel's video from Gaza brought Eitan and Yagil back in an instant to the days they were there, "starring" in horror videos themselves. "I also have videos, but they just haven't sent them yet, haven't published them," says Ohad Yahalomi.

"There's not a minute, a day, that I don't think about my father," says Yagil, "what he went through in his last moments. About the hostages. Wow, it hurts me even to see these views. Think about it, all I wanted in captivity was to see the sky. Today it's just like, think about what the hostages see, what they see is darkness. Darkness is the thing that breaks you the most in captivity."

Who are you angry at?

Eitan Yahalomi: "At all those people who write 'The deal is bad,' 'This deal isn't worth it because there will be another October 7th after this.'"

How tense are you these days as people start to return?

Eitan Yahalomi: "A lot, I don't know, because my father is also on that list."

A new morning rises over the Pirin Mountains. The tears that were here last night have also frozen, for now. We go out snowboarding, and Mika Engel declares: "Today I'm also in a rare mood, because yesterday there was a release of tension, after a long and busy day. And today we woke up rare for a new day. Look at the sun outside, how fun."

Who is Mika today?

Mika Engel: "You can never understand. Ever. You don't know what it's like to be wounded, and not even wounded—like, you're just in Gaza, in a small room with no ability to move. It's something that really, really changes you into a much more closed person who takes everything with a grain of salt and is suspicious of everything, afraid of everything—like, you don't trust anything anymore."

"You don't trust anything anymore." Mika Engel.

**"They took off my cast and forced me to walk"**

How much does it bother you that you're not skiing?

Mika Engel: "Today it really bothers me. I really want to, I'm thirsty for it. And it does bum me out a bit that I can't physically because of my leg—I tried. Yesterday was the first day. I tried, I learned, I listened. My leg really hurts, it's really painful. Like, come on, guys, we're still with fractures in our legs, of course we won't manage to do something that particularly strains the legs, in skiing you need balance. They forced me to walk, after a month they just took off my cast and forced me to walk without limping, without anything, so I got used to the pain. And I also don't give myself a break."

Who forced you?

Mika Engel: "The captors in Gaza."

And what do the doctors here in Israel say, that it will eventually go away completely?

Mika Engel: "No. I have a bone that's not connected, I have a nerve problem. And mainly, I have a lot of pain that they can't explain."

**"This is the most important thing to me right now"**

You were in a wheelchair when you were released from captivity, for how long?

Yuval Engel: "Six months."

And how much does it bum you out that everyone is skiing and you're not?

Yuval Engel: "It bums me out. But I prefer not to break my ass."

You've broken enough other things.

Yuval Engel: "Yes, enough."

How much do you miss your father, Ronen Engel?

Yuval Engel: "Endlessly. You can't even define how much I miss him. Wow, you're making me cry."

From the hell of Gaza—to skiing together in the snowy mountains.

How important is it to you that he returns, no matter what condition?

Yuval Engel: "This is the most important thing to me in the world right now."

Even though you know he's no longer with us.

Yuval Engel: "Despite. I want him to be in Israel, in Nir Oz, in the place he loved so much."

**"I woke up screaming"**

What's the most annoying thing people say to you?

Dafna Elikim: "When people come and tell me, 'You're a hero, soon this will pass, and you'll be fine, and you won't have traumas anymore.'"

And how are you, how's it going here?

Dafna Elikim: "I'm fine, but no one really knows, smiling."

Yuval Engel: "You can't define how much I miss my dad."

Does it come back to you?

Dafna Elikim: "Sometimes. More in dreams—I woke up screaming, I got up from screaming for help. When you're there, it doesn't feel like two months. It feels like a decade. Ela and I were in houses for a month, and then for two weeks we were in a tunnel—suddenly we went down into a tunnel, and I see Romy (Gonen), Liri (Albag), and Agam (Berger), and I said, 'Wow, there are more people, good, so I'm not the only one.'"

"The hardest thing is when Ela would come to me and say she's hungry, 'Dafna, bring me food,' and I have nowhere to get it from. Understand, even when we went down into the tunnel—if they brought us all a bowl, I would give it to Tal and Gal (Almog Goldstein) and Ela to eat, and then I would eat or I would eat just a little and leave the rest for them."

Dafna Elikim: "The hardest thing is when Ela would come to me and say she's hungry, 'Dafna, bring me food.'"

**What's it like being in such a special group?**

Gali Tarshansky: "It's a safe place, there are people you have a connection with, not people you've met for the first time. You can share with them, people who want you to be well and who love you. They're here to support and also to have fun and just be with you when you're alone or something."

Ofir Sharabi: "It helps because there's some kind of 'common denominator.' In the end, everyone has a different story, but everyone has their own story, and everyone deals with their own difficulties."

"It's a safe place." Gali Tarshansky on the ski trip.

**"Not to forget that my dad is in Gaza"**

Everyone here has a deep scar in their heart, in their soul, one that even on the cable car in front of a stunning view, it's hard to detach from. The ones accompanying the teens and children are the wonderful volunteers of the "Reach Out" association. In the past year, as part of the "Returning to Life" project, they've been close to them, turning them into a cohesive group, a kind of support group, a kind of family.

And volunteer Amihud Zoldan shares: "There's nothing like these kids in the world, it's a pleasure to experience this with them—the feeling of success, progress, everything they've experienced here is the craziest thing that could have happened to them. I love them with all my heart, I give them everything. Very special kids, each with their own personal story and their own struggles. It's amazing to see, it's inspiring, it puts things in perspective. It's just a great privilege to be part of this amazing project."

An outstanding skier, after all she's been through. Emily Hand.

We're here skiing, we had fun, and soon we're going home, but what's most important to you?

Ofir Sharabi: "To bring back my dad and everyone until the last hostage, I can't continue my life until my dad is here. And not to stop this deal because it's going well now, but also not to forget that my dad is there. I can't even believe that he's not alive, give me proof—bring him home. I saw him alive, I saw him kidnapped alive, how can I believe that he's no longer here if he's not here."

To donate to the "Reach Out" association and support the "Returning to Life" project for the benefit of the children and teens.  linnk

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

This Stain will Darken the Israeli Ethos for Generations to Come

Nahum Barnea

Journalist.

Oded Lifshitz is one of the founders of kibbutz Nir Oz, a community leader, a peace activist, a journalist, and a friend. We both served in the same squad of less than 20 soldiers in the reserves, and from there we continued a close friendship of nearly 60 years. On the morning of October 7th we were texting in the group chat. The chat came to a halt in the middle of the sentence: “Oded and his wife Yocheved - Yochkeh - were attacked in their home.” He was injured and kidnapped. We know he made it alive into Gaza; we don’t know what his situation is today.

Yochkeh, who is 85, was kidnapped. She was released on October 23rd, and I met her in the hospital hallway, minutes after she got off the helicopter. She described her captivity clearly, rationally, and with integrity. People in Israel and all over the world marveled at her courage. Ever since, she, along with her and Oded’s four children grandchildren, have been fighting for the hostages’ release.

Ostensibly, Yochkeh’s fight should not have been necessary. Approximately 240 children, elderly people, women and men were kidnapped that morning from their homes, taken out of their beds, and from the Nova party. Most were civilians, a few were soldiers. The crime falls solely on the shoulders of Hamas, but the responsibility for freeing them falls entirely on the Israeli government and the military, who abandoned them. Freeing them by force; freeing them by deception; freeing them with a hostage deal - any approach is legitimate, as long as freeing the hostages is the primary objective of this war.

Surprisingly, freeing the hostages was not on the list of goals that the government laid out at the beginning of the war - neither on the top of the list or the bottom. There are those who interpret the omission of the hostages from the list as an expression of the panic that gripped the governing body at the time. It’s true that panic was raging, but there was also repression, avoidance of handling the situation, and evasion of responsibility.

The families of the hostages had no choice but to take to the streets, and they were not alone. The call for a hostage deal became the primary goal of the resistance movement and swept it along.

Netanyahu engaged unwillingly in negotiations with Hamas. He was - and is - in a snare: he cannot veto a move that is intended to save the lives of hostages, but he does not want to pay the price: an end to the war, the release of hundreds or even thousands of terrorists from prison, a resignation to the continued existence of Hamas in Gaza with Sinwar at its head, and the admission that his promise of total victory was an empty catchphrase.

The result is that he skips back and forth on the thin line between yes and no: when Hamas’ Sinwar says no, Netanyahu says yes; when Sinwar says yes, Netanyahu says no. The only hostage deal executed so far was stopped prematurely. The villain in this story is Sinwar, but the biggest loss belongs to Israel. A deal fell through twice because of Netanyahu’s political concerns, and once, due to a pointless insistence on part of the military.

One hundred and twenty hostages are still being held in Gaza. According to military assessments, only about half of them are still alive. Extremists in the government tell us that we should acknowledge their loss; that those who will be freed by force will live, and those who will die - will die. But there are others, those who warn that this stain will darken the Israeli ethos for generations to come and tell the story of a country that twice neglected the lives of its citizens: once during the October 7th massacre, and the second time when they remained in captivity. Should this happen, the contract between the state and its citizens will be fatally breached, while Zionism’s basic promise - to provide Jews with a safe haven in their own land - will be annulled at the same time.

One hundred and twenty Israelis and their families are at the forefront of the fight: they are its emotional heart. But underneath this beating heart is the entire Zionist project.

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

IPS - Israel Prison System

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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