The evil is Hamas, and we continue to be stunned by its depraved and fiendish behavior. They imagine that they are bringing shame on Israel with their actions, but what they are doing is exposing their own nature. They apparently do not yet realize that they have gone way, way too far.
I will continue to write about this because the world must understand what we are dealing with.
And I will continue to ask you to share the information as broadly as you can.
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On Thursday, following an obscene propaganda “ceremony,” Hamas returned what they said were four deceased hostages: Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz. Forensic tests quickly confirmed the identity of Oded, but we were told that it would take further work to confirm the identity of the members of the Bibas family.
By Friday, the identity of the two little boys had been confirmed, but the heart-breaking information was that they had been “brutally murdered” just weeks after their October 7 capture. Subsequently it was reported that they were strangled with bare hands. The mind reels, the heart is torn.
But there was more, and it was shattering: the body of the woman that had been turned over with the boys was NOT Shiri, and in fact was a woman from Gaza.
The excuse offered by Hamas for this “error” was lame and believed by almost no one. Likely this behavior was just one more attempt to psychologically torture Israel. Enraged Israeli officials charged Hamas with very severe violations of the ceasefire agreement and demanded that Shiri Bibas’s body be turned over immediately.
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By Saturday Shiri’s body had been returned via the Red Cross and its identity confirmed. Shiri, too, had been murdered shortly after her capture.
Dr. Chen Kugel, director of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, stated that “We have witnessed unimaginable depths of cruelty and evil.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404312
In spite of the grief, the relief was enormous because the prospect of the whereabouts of Shiri remaining unknown did not bear contemplating. The family – and most especially her husband Yarden – would have been left in limbo, with no closure and no path to recovery.
Now there will be a proper burial and shiva, and slowly, slowly, Yarden can move forward. He has put out a message thanking everyone for their prayers.
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And here I ask something very important from each of you:
Please, honor the memory of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir with an act that brings blessings.
This is the Jewish way: In the face of the pain of their deaths, bring good into the world. Typically, tzedakah is given (see some recommendations at the end of this post), but much more is possible. Take upon yourself some additional religious practice or study. Volunteer in a hospital or a soup kitchen. Bring food to someone who is not well.
Be mindful of the souls of the Bibas family as you do this, that good comes into the world because of them, a ballast against the evil.
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I wrote above that Hamas has gone way, way too far: They have sealed their fate. At this point we continue to seek the return of all hostages still being held. (Although of course Hamas insists it will release all hostages only when the IDF is totally out of Gaza for good – hostages are their bargaining chip.) But the decision has been made – when we have done all that we can to secure the release of the 63 still held, (21 of whom are believed alive), we are returning to war and the destruction of Hamas.
Stage one of the deal with Hamas ends next Thursday with the release of an additional four hostages believed to be dead. Going forward, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will head negotiations.
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On Saturday, six hostages were released by Hamas in accordance with the negotiated understanding, but once again with the interminably vile attempt to humiliate Israel with a “return” ceremony.
Four of these hostages had been taken into captivity on October 7: Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham. Two were in captivity for ten years and more, both mentally ill individuals who had wandered inadvertently into Gaza and were then grabbed and held by Hamas: Avera Mengistu, who is Ethiopian, and Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin.
There was great rejoicing at seeing these captives brought back from the dungeons of hell. The four captured on October 7 told horrendous stories of their treatment: they were held in darkness, chained, starved, endured prolonged torture, and denied basic human dignity. Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayad seemed bewildered and unresponsive – not surprising given their circumstances.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-843270
And so, what a joy to have them home.
Eliya Cohen had spent more than 500 days in captivity believing that the woman he intended to marry was dead. They had been hiding in a shelter at the Nova festival when he was torn away. On reuniting, they both burst into tears. See an IDF video:
https://www.instagram.com/idf/reel/DGYeivYNlKQ/?hl=en
The touching video of (a very thin) Omert Wenkert reunited with family:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwtODq8kN3o
And here Omer Shem Tov greeted by his family.
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But even with the joys of these captives brought home, there was an incident of mind-blowing ugliness. Two captives not scheduled for release, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, were brought to the “release ceremony” of the others and forced to witness this and make a propaganda video begging for their rescue. (That video will not be shown.)
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One other point that it is important to make here: There is broadscale recognition today – that is, outside of Israel; here we have known for a long time – that the people of Gaza, those so long described as “innocent civilians,” have been exposed as complicit with Hamas. This could be seen clearly in the video of the “ceremony” over the four coffins of deceased hostages, where crowds came out to watch, bringing their children.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) described the people of Gaza as “the most radicalized on the planet… Phase II should go as follows: Hamas voluntarily leaves, or Israel will reengage militarily with the goal of annihilating Hamas.
“This is what America did regarding Germany and Japan – the complete annihilation of despotic regimes with an effort over decades to rebuild the culture.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/404247
Please read the piece by JNS editor Jonathan Tobin, “The unavoidable necessity to draw conclusions about Palestinian Arab society”:
“….as much as we might wish [to avoid generalizations about a group] there are occasions when groups do exhibit loathsome behavior that are a clear illustration of their beliefs and values.”
https://www.jns.org/the-unavoidable-necessity-to-draw-conclusions-about-palestinian-arab-society/
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On Saturday, Israel was supposed to have released 620 terrorists from our prisons, including 71 servings life terms. The decision was made, however, not to release them; already on buses, they were returned to the prisons. This morning (Sunday), the Prime Minister’s Office announced that in light of Hamas’s repeated violations, it has been decided to delay the release of these terrorists. Cited as one of the reasons for the delay was the ceremonies that humiliate the hostages and exploit them for propaganda. The terrorist release would only take place after the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies.
Hamas is shouting about a violation of the agreement (oh irony!), and we have to see where this goes. There are those anticipating that this may signal the end of the ceasefire deal, as Hamas may not even release further hostages until we release those prisoners.
It should be noted that some of the prisoners scheduled for release this time, their identities having been dictated by Hamas, are considered particularly dangerous.
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Consider this:
“Three empty buses exploded in quick succession in parking lots in the Tel Aviv suburbs of Bat Yam and Holon Thursday night and one or two more bombs were discovered on additional buses in Holon. No casualties occurred as a result of the explosions…
“Channel 12 news reported that a terrorist boarded one of the buses shortly after 8 p.m. with a bomb held in a bag, while several people were onboard.
“He sat down in the back and attempted to hide the bag below a seat, the network reported, before leaving. A woman who saw him told the driver there was a suspicious item on board.
“The driver then called his Dan company superiors, who told him to get all the passengers off, and he did so. As he told his bosses he was minutes from a bus depot, they urged him to head there to keep the vehicle away from passersby.
“After parking the bus, the driver got off and police were called, but the bomb went off before they could arrive, destroying the vehicle.”
The report I cite above indicates that this was “thought to have been a narrowly averted large-scale terror attack.” Come on. Let us cite it clearly: This WAS a narrowly averted large-scale terror attack of what would have been horrifying dimensions.
What is more, many of us believe that the fact that no one in Israel was injured when bombs – each carrying five kilos of explosives – were placed in five buses (and other reports suggest even more bombs in additional sites) was a nes, a miracle. Reportedly the bombs were supposed to go off at 9 a.m. the following morning, but the timers were erroneously set for 9 p.m.
“… at least one of the undetonated devices…reportedly carried a message in Arabic saying, ‘Revenge from Tulkarem.’” This refers to the city in Samaria where the IDF has recently conducted a large-scale counterterror operation. There is a Tulkarem Battalion associated with Hamas, which put out a statement, “The revenge of the martyrs will not be forgotten as long as the occupier is present on our land.”
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We have not had a bus bombing in a long time. Now terrorists have been released – some permitted to go to Judea & Samaria. And now there was a plan – that apparently originated in Samaria – for multiple bus bombings. Can we consider this a coincidence? Itamar Ben Gvir (Chair, Otzma Yehudit) is convinced it is not. Is it time to take a very hard look at the practice of releasing hundreds of terrorists with blood on their hands? My opinion is that we should never have agreed to this in the first place.
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The IDF has deployed three additional battalions to Samaria in response to the situation.
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Suggested organizations for donations in memory of the Bibas family:
The Koby Mandell Foundation
It is the largest provider of emotional support services for the thousands of bereaved Israelis who have lost an immediate family member to terror via multi-faceted therapeutic programs.
https://www.kobymandell.org/donate
Donations can be made in Israeli shekels or American dollars.
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United Hatzalah
This is an Israeli volunteer-based emergency medical services (EMS) organization providing free service throughout Israel. During the war it set up clinics at the Gaza periphery to treat the wounded alongside the IDF medical units and would resume this work as needed when we return to war.
https://israelrescue.org/checkout/
Donations in Israeli shekels and a variety of other currencies including American.
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One Family
This organization provides assistance to victims on their path towards healing, assuring those affected by terror and war that they are not alone.
https://onefamilytogether.org/make-a-donation/
If you click on the credit card option you will see you can donate in shekels or US dollars.
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I ask for prayers for Israel’s wellbeing – for the wisdom and strength of our leaders and the safety of all Am Yisrael.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
