Israel is experiencing conflicting feelings as a result of Hamas’ hostage-taking.
A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, together with the release of Israeli hostages, generated mixed emotions in Tel Aviv on Friday and gave hope to the relatives of those still detained in the embattled enclave.
When news broke that Hamas had rescued 13 Israeli hostages, 10 Thai citizens, and a Filipino national, there was a murmur among the hundreds of people gathered in the location known as Hostages Square, close to Tel Aviv’s Museum of Art.
Tamar Shamir has been supporting individuals who are still in Gaza by visiting the square for weeks, but she insisted that more has to be done. We can’t be content until everyone returns home, which is why we’re not.
50 women and children detained in Gaza will be gradually released as part of the precarious ceasefire. Israel claims that over 200 individuals were kidnapped during the October 7 onslaught by Hamas terrorists. 150 Palestinian women and children who were detained in Israeli prisons will also be released as part of the agreement.
Shamir claimed that considering young hostages broke his heart. When the children return, some of them will be orphans, she continued, and none of them will have parents.
American-Israeli Michael Feuer
Israeli-American Michal Feuer clarified that she was torn between the necessity of eliminating Hamas and freeing all hostages because the war was gaining speed and the truce was undermining it.
“I feel so bad for the civilians in Palestine,” she murmured. She said, “I hope in the long run they’ll have better lives for it as well, but I don’t think we have a choice, and the majority of them are innocent.”
