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As Israel’s alert period for hostages in Gaza enters its fourth month, there is a sense that time is ticking by while the world’s attention shifts elsewhere, as hopes for a deal to secure their release fade and families suffer. It’s deepening.
Weekly demonstrations draw crowds of several thousand people, but the protests include the alleged assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon last week and political disputes over the future of the post-war Gaza Strip. As a result of this development, families are feeling increasingly left behind.
“There’s a certain aspect of despair,” said Rebecca Brindza, a former senior executive at a startup in Tel Aviv. She quit her paid job and worked to help one of the self-help groups organized by the hostage families. It emerged from the trauma of the events of October 7th.
“For many of us, it feels like the world stopped on October 7th,” she says. “And I think what we’re seeing now is that the world is moving forward in many ways.”
Of the approximately 240 prisoners taken on October 7, almost half were freed by Hamas during a brief ceasefire in November. Whether it’s 9-year-old Emily Hand, 17-year-old Mia Leimberg, who survived two months in captivity with her dog, or 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz, who denounced Gaza’s Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Such a story. When she encountered him in the tunnel, it attracted worldwide media attention.
For the families of those still in Gaza, there is nothing but fear. Sharon Arony Cunio, 34, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, said, “Every minute counts. Every minute we wait for the hostages to be released or wait too long could cost us our lives.” Told. Her husband, David, remained in Gaza with her three twins. – year old girls were released during the ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a special parliamentary session in December that bringing all the hostages home was Israel’s “sacred mission” and that he had met with hostage families multiple times.
At the same time, they argue that military pressure is the best way to force Hamas to release hostages. “We will not grant Hamas any immunity,” he said on Saturday.
As Israel gears up for a war that officials say could last for much of next year, the government’s priorities are to topple Hamas and replace senior leaders such as Sinwar and military commander Mohammed Deif. There are indications that the intent is to kill or imprison.
“It’s an impossible equation,” said Aviv Businski, a political analyst who worked with Netanyahu as a consultant in the previous government. “Everyone has come to say that we will overthrow Hamas and bring the hostages home, but we all know that this equation cannot be matched. Naturally, some or most of them is a human shield for Shinwar.”
“A family torn apart”
As Israel’s invasion of Gaza continues and the death toll of Palestinians nears 23,000, the world’s attention turns to the 1,200 Israelis and foreigners taken hostage and killed by Hamas, Hamas health officials say. rather than victims of shelling. The first day of the war.
The mood seems a far cry from the emotional outburst seen in November, when many Israelis gathered in front of television sets to watch the first hostages returned to safety after being rescued in a Red Cross Land Cruiser.
Brindza said there was a sense among residents of leftist kibbutz communities around Gaza that while many wanted to build bridges with the Palestinians, they underestimated the threat from Hamas. . “Hamas doesn’t want Israel to exist,” she said. “They don’t want these people in here.”
However, while the majority of the Israeli public supports the military operation, many of the hostage families are ambivalent and do not necessarily appear to be opposed to war with Hamas, and Hamas is expected to continue fighting in October if possible. Although it has made clear that it will repeat the attack on the 7th, it recognizes that the longer the fighting lasts, the more dangerous it becomes.
It is unclear exactly how many of the 136 people believed to remain in Gaza are alive, but at least 23 have been declared dead by Israeli authorities. The deaths of three escaped hostages last month, who were accidentally shot dead by Israeli forces as they tried to identify themselves, were a bitter lesson in the risks they face.
“Especially as someone who lives in a community next to the fence, I understand the importance of restoring safety to our community, but we cannot do so at the expense of our citizens,” Sharon Aronie Cunio said. . “The people must come first above all else.”
Those who have returned have had to live with the memory of their ordeal, with most remaining hostages facing an uncertain wait as the invasion of the enclave, which began in October, continues. Unable to return to his home near Gaza.
“It’s wonderful and moving to see families reunited, but it’s not just that our hearts are still in Gaza[with the hostages]. So many families have been torn apart,” said Alony Kunio. Told.
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