Commentary

The void of eternity

The void of eternity

In an unrelenting cloud of uncertainty, families of deceased hostages have asked Israel to refer to their loved ones – whose fate remains unclear until the very final identification – as "fallen." The meaning of this word in Hebrew captures precisely the heartbreak that will forever accompany an entire nation.

IDF: 'Grave concern for the fate of the Bibas family'

The shattered hope: This day was not declared a day of mourning – but it is one

Today, the image most associated with the October 7 attack, Shiri Bibas clutching her two red-haired sons, will return to us in two small coffins, alongside a larger one. The hopes of the Bibas and Lifshitz families have been shattered. The hope for accountability in the face of these tiny coffins, or at least an investigation rather than blaming the head of the Shin Bet, has been shattered. We are left with only one hope: to bring back all the hostages, quickly.

The third option: A transformative shift

The third option: A transformative shift

Look at the Gaza Strip today. From this destroyed place that knew only death and ruin emerged the pure bodies of Kfir and Ariel. Hamas kidnapped and murdered them along with our other dead. By what moral conception can one defend letting the murderers and their enablers remain in this cursed place?