I attended another funeral today in Haifa. I personally did not know the person who died. But, earlier today, shortly after the sirens sounded through the country and people stood in silent honor and remembrance of those who perished in the Holocaust, I saw a very short notice in a Hebrew news site where the following message appeared: “Tonight “Jane Doe” (not her real name), a 95-year-old Holocaust survivor, died [literally, went to her eternity]. The medical experimentation that she underwent in Auschwitz prevented her from being able to give birth. Unfortunately, there won’t be a Shiva [a traditional 7-day mourning period immediately following the passing of a family member]. She has no children and her brother already passed away. There will only be a funeral. If you are in the area of Haifa and want to pay last respects to this heroine – the funeral [will take place] at 2 p.m. at the Pine Gate of the Haifa Cemetery.” A photo of the survivor was attached to the notice.

This simple announcement gripped me and I didn’t even try to hold back my tears. This survivor of the Holocaust died in the early morning hours of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Even though she had no immediate family, there was something serious wrong that she would simply be buried and “that’s it”. She needs to be honored and respected. I had to go to the funeral. I had this same “push” to attend the funeral 10 years ago of a “lone soldier” (one who has no immediate family in Israel), who was killed during Operation Protective Edge, the Gaza War of 2014. And the same thing happened now that happened then.

I wasn’t the only one who saw the notice. Multitudes saw it as well. By the time I arrived to the cemetery, there already were several hundreds of people in attendance – young and not so young, old and much older, men and women, secular and religious, left wing and right wing, civilian and military (from every branch of the IDF). Some who were there were still checking their cell phones to make sure that they were at the right funeral. It was a hot day and there were eulogies from distant family members, as well as from friends and neighbors. Still, no one left. They told how this remarkable woman was orphaned as a child during the Holocaust, how she persevered and eventually was freed, how she pursued her goal of immigrating to Israel, how she encouraged others to press on notwithstanding the difficulties and challenges of life, how she was always available when someone was in need. She was a gift to many and will be remembered by all whose lives she touched. 

The thing that most impressed me at the funeral was how people came from different backgrounds, even from different cities, to honor someone who was not personally known to the vast majority of those present. The same Hebrew-language news site reported after the funeral that several thousands of people were present. This is entirely possible. There was a spirit of unity present. All who attended the funeral became, in a certain sense, the family of the deceased Holocaust survivor. They all came to honor her. And in so doing, they revealed the best in us and gave silent testimony to the understanding that we share a unique spirit of survival, a spirit of overcoming the catastrophes of life, of overcoming the hatred and the anti-semitism and the attempts, in every generation, to destroy us. We share a zeal for life and of being part of Israel, in the land of our forefathers, at this time in history. Am Yisrael Chai! The nation of Israel lives! 

Each of the speakers ended with a portion of the verse from First Samuel 25:29, which reads: “Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.” And then finally, “May her memory be blessed.” Amen! 

And then, when the funeral was over, we returned to what is happening on this side of the Pond. Later in the day, a representative of Hamas issued a statement that it agreed to the Egyptian proposal for a 6-weeks ceasefire. Before we applaud and expect to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we need to stop and think for a moment about what was actually being communicated.

Following this brief announcement, Egypt officially contacted senior representatives in Israel, requesting “Stop the ground operations in Rafiah (Rafah).” Israeli officials considered Egypt’s request as an expression of its concern over the anticipation that the IDF would pursue its operation in Rafiah close to the border with Egypt.

Right after the announcement of Hamas, one of the advisors of Ismail Haniyah, a senior, political official of Hamas, who has been enjoying the luxurious hospitality of the Qataris, said that Hamas agreed to the [Egyptian] proposal which includes a ceasefire, restoration of Gaza, return of the uprooted Gazans to the north of the Strip and release of prisoners. But, that statement left out a few things.

In reality, it needs to be understood that the Egyptian and Qatari negotiators joined together to “pull a fast one on us”, together with Hamas, in a last-minute attempt to prevent the Israeli action in Rafiah. This is simply another example of the fraudulent negotiations that took place during the last few months. It should also be noted that the proposal that was communicated by Qatar and Egypt to Hamas, and accepted by Hamas, was an “amended proposal” that was not consented to by Israel and goes far afield from what Israel was prepared to accept. The whole last-minute conspiracy between Hamas and the Egyptian and Qatari negotiators was intended to put Hamas in a good light and to move the ball into Israel’s court.

A later report by Hamas to one of the Arab news outlets revealed more of the position allegedly accepted by Hamas: The deal will be in three stages. Each stage will take place over a period of 42 days. There will be a cease fire and a withdrawal of the IDF from locations in Gaza, the return of the Gaza refugees and the exchange of hostages and terrorists. Notice the emphasis – first what’s good for Hamas and finally, an exchange and release of hostages. This is the same emphasis that Qatar had from the very outset of the negotiations, even before there was agreement on the first release of hostages. The second stage will include an expressed declaration of a permanent ceasefire (i.e., the end of the war) and the third stage would include an exchange of corpses. The negotiators (remember: Israel did not participate in these latest negotiations) also reportedly informed Hamas that U.S. President Biden undertook to guarantee the implementation of the agreement, placing the burden of decision now on Israel.

But, a further understanding of what Hamas says was “agreed upon” is that the first stage will also include the release of only 33 hostages, in exchange for between 800-1000 “Palestinians”. Stage two will complete the hostage release (the number is unknown to Israel) and the third stage would include not only the exchange of corpses, but restoration of the Gaza Strip and providing of aid to the Gazans who were uprooted. The proposal that Hamas consented to includes the release of 20 prisoners serving life sentences in exchange for every female soldier that is released. Hamas is using the hostages as human bargaining chips.

Given the recent “strain” in the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, in all likelihood there would be some concern in Israeli officialdom that the U.S. would support the same proposal that Hamas purportedly accepts, a proposal which fails to abide by the parameters that Israel has consented to. It needs to also be remembered that Qatar is the only Middle East country that allows the U.S. to use the bases of its air force. So, like Egypt that has its own concerns about a spill-over from Rafiah into Egypt, the U.S. has its own concern over alienating the Qataris by not consenting to their proposal to end the present war. While Egypt and Qatar are supposedly concerned about the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza – while Hamas is not, in reality, those countries are looking out only for their own best interests in bringing about an end to the war. 

On this day of national remembrance of the Holocaust, Israel is facing a divided population, part of which wants the hostages to be returned “at any price”, NOW, and part of which wants the government to enter Rafiah and finish the job against Hamas, NOW. The likelihood is that Israel will pursue its goals in Rafiah, at least for now. It is most likely encouraged by the fact that the minimal military action already taken in Rafiah has caused Hamas to budge from its non-committal attitude, even if it made a sham acceptance of a proposal that Israel did not offer. A little pressure from Israel against Rafiah, a Hamas stronghold, went a long way. Serious military pressure could produce the desired results of a more flexible willingness to release the hostages, not just some, but all. Hamas is waitng for international pressure to cause Israel to capitulate. Israel is pushing the limits of its relations with other countries to see how far it can go to break the strength and capability of Hamas. Time will tell. 

As we continue the week, remember to bless, which will also cause you to be blessed to be a blessing.

Marvin