Shalom all.

After Thursday’s traumatic events regarding the delivery by Hamas of four coffins to the Red Cross and eventually to the IDF, one would have thought that we are approaching the end of one phase of the ceasefire agreement, looking forward to concluding the next one and final phase scheduled for today. 

Things do not always work out smoothly, or the way they were intended and expected.

As reported by one of the television news media here, the four coffins were locked by Hamas, who gave to the Red Cross keys that didn’t fit the locks. A simple mistake? Very unlikely. Hamas made a dramatic display of the coffins on a stage set up in an abandoned cemetery and under a giant sign that portrayed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, dripping blood on a photo of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, as well as Oded Lifshitz. The following was written on the sign: “The War Criminal Netanyahu & His Nazi Army Killed Them with Missiles from Zionist Warplanes.”  Although not visible from the photo in the cited article, the words “The Killer” were said to appear over the picture of Netanyahu, with the date, “11-2023”, intended to convey the message that he was responsible for their deaths and giving the impression that the four hostages were killed in November, only a few weeks after the brutal terrorist attack by Hamas perpetrated on October 7th. The warped minds of the terrorists fail to grasp that these hostages, as well as all of the other hostages who were killed by whatever means since October 7th, were killed because they were taken hostage. And the blame for their deaths falls squarely on the terrorists and no one else.

Such a callous media display of the turnover of the coffins was not only a blatant violation of the hostage/prisoner release agreement, it also violated international law. Even the United Nations finally condemned Hamas. The Algemeiner reports that U.N. Civil Rights Chief, Volker Turk, said :“Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families”. Another poster seen at the time of the handover of the coffins read: “The Return of the War = The Return of your Prisoners in Coffins.”

If this were not enough, The Israeli National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police said yesterday that the body that was supposed to be that of 33-year-old Shiri Bibas, the mother of Ariel and Kfir, was actually the body of an unidentified woman. More Hamas deception, even regarding the death of a hostage.The Jewish News Syndicate quoted Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, who said: “[There] are no words that can describe such an atrocity… [adding] This is a new low, an evil and cruelty with no parallel…The State of Israel demands a clear and unequivocal condemnation of this heinous crime and a clear and an immediate demand of the return of Shiri to her family… History will remember well who stood by and remained silent while Hamas trampled on the most basic principles of humanity.”

The forensic examination of the bodies of 4-year-old Ariel and 9-month-old Kfir revealed that they were brutally killed about a month after they were kidnapped. According to IDF medical examiners, Kfir and Ariel were choked to death by their captors. It should be imbedded in people’s understanding that the terrorists, by their bare hands, killed a four-year-old and a 9-month old. There appears to be no bottom to the depth of the depravity of evil. The Hamas terrorist group has constantly tries to convince Israel and the world that it does not kill children. Their deceitful and lying tongues would have us believe that the more than 50 children who were victims of the October 7th massacre either were killed by the tooth fairy or weren’t killed at all.

Moreover, the deception of Hamas, who tried to pass off the body of an unidentified Gazan woman as being that of Shiri Bibas, added to the emotional pain of the Bibas family, who was expecting Shiri to be returned. There are a multitude of voices that have expressed shock, anger and outrage over the killing of the two youngest, innocent hostages and the failure to return their mother, alive or dead. We can add our own voices to theirs. 

Hamas said it made a mistake, claiming that Shiri’s body got mixed up in the destruction and rubble that followed an Israeli air strike in November, 2023. Another unverified statement by Hamas. And, after Israel expressed outrage of the failure to deliver the body of Shiri Bibas, another coffin was delivered last night to the Red Cross that delivered it to Israeli authorities. This time, however, the Israeli Institute of Forensic Medicine said that the body inside the coffin was, in fact, identified as that of Shiri Bibas.

It was reported that the terrorist group Al-Mujahedeen (“Lords of the Wilderness”), an extremist Salafi organization within Gaza (a revivalist group within Sunni Islam), was the terrorist faction that held Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. The group originally operated as a part of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, but later separated from it, advocating a radical ideology of return to what it deems to be fundamental roots of Islam. The group took part in the handover ceremony of the coffins two days ago. They work together with Hamas and were also involved in the events of October 7^th. An article appearing in a Hebrew news site quotes the statement of the representative of the terrorist faction to the Qatari-owned alaraby tv: “We returned this family, including the soldier (meaning Shiri Bibas), who worked in the office of the Commander of the Southern Command, Gaza Division.” It needs to be understood that from the point of view of Hamas and its ilk, even young children are considered to be future members of the Israeli military, which, in the warped minds of the terrorists justifies treating them as soldier and killing them. It is not clear whether Hamas or Al-Mujahedeen actually killed the Bibas family. But, it really is irrelevant. Hamas was in charge. It planned the attack and carried it out, inviting other terrorist groups and Gaza riff-raff to participate in its barbarism. It bears all responsibility for every atrocity committed by it and its cohorts that on October 7th.

Despite the blatant breaches of the ceasefire agreement by Hamas, Israel allowed the fragile ceasefire to continue, so as to effectuate the return today of the last six, live hostages as part of Stage One of the present hostage deal. Two of the hostages have been held by Hamas for more than a decade. The photos of the hostages reveal their drastic weight loss, as well as partial baldness and gray streaks or premature whitening. It is known that prolonged stress and malnutrition, as well as trauma, can cause premature balding and/or thinning and/or whitening of the hair.

Israel, for its part, agreed to release a total of 620 terrorists, 151 of whom are serving life sentences and long-term sentences, 47 terrorists who were released in the 2011 prisoner exchange for the IDF soldier Gilad Shalit and subsequently re-arrested, as well an additional 445 individuals arrested after October 7^th. The prisoners being released today are wearing shirts with the symbol on the back of the Israel Prison Service and the statement, in Arabic, taken from Psalm 18, verse 38 (v. 37 in English):  “I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.” We could keep this statement as a prayer for the future.

We rejoice with the returning hostages and their families, and mourn with those who mourn over the hostages, young and old, who were returned dead. A lengthy period of rehabilitation, physical, emotional and psychological, awaits the live hostages, as well as a period of adjustment and re-adjustment for their families. Stories of the hell that they experienced while in captivity will trickle into the media and we will be shocked again and weep again. But, we will be thankful that those days are behind them and will pray for the days that lie ahead.

In light of the experience gained from the First Stage of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, it can reasonably be expected that Israel will not rush into the negotiations regarding the Second Stage. Renewed fighting is a real possibility. However, renewed fighting could be the death knell for the remaining live hostages. On the other hand, and despite my eternal optimism, I don’t have even the slightest doubt that if Israel fails to continue the fighting and leaves Hamas and other militant groups in control of Gaza, it will not take long before Hamas totally reorganizes and re-arms and endangers, once again, the communities in the Gaza Envelope and communities further inland with renewed missile fire and attempts to recommit the events of October 7th, as they have promised to do. The government needs abundant wisdom and it needs to act with courage. The same is true for the IDF, who knows how to put an end to Hamas, “Palestinian” Islamic Jihad, Al-Mujahedeen and other terrorist groups in Gaza. If it is given the “go ahead”, it should accomplish its task quickly and efficiently, with boldness and precision. Regarding President Trump’s plans for Gaza, that’s another story and for another time.

You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit. (Psalm 5:6)

But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You. (Psalm 55:23)

In the meantime, remember: bless, be blessed and be a blessing. 

Marvin