On October 7, 2023, the world witnessed one of the most brutal and unprovoked terror attacks in recent memory. Over 3,000 Hamas terrorists stormed the southern border of Israel, slaughtering 1,200 innocent civilians—men, women, children, and the elderly—and kidnapping more than 250 individuals. What unfolded was not an act of war. It was not resistance. It was a massacre. It was evil, weaponized and televised.
As of today, the war in Gaza rages on. Israeli forces have made significant territorial advances. Hamas’ infrastructure has been crippled. Key leaders have been eliminated. Tunnels have been destroyed. Yet, one core truth remains unaltered and unresolved: There is no victory until every one of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages held by Hamas is back home. Alive. Safe. Free.
Imagine a mother waiting every night for her child who was taken from her arms at gunpoint. Picture a father staring at an empty seat at the dinner table. Visualize siblings, spouses, grandparents, and friends tormented by the silence, with no clarity about the fate of their loved ones. This is not imagination for Israelis. It is reality.
As of now, about 50 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza. But of those, it is estimated that only around 25 are alive. The rest are either confirmed dead, presumed killed in captivity, or unaccounted for under dire circumstances. This horrifying statistic is not just a number. It represents human lives—people with families, hopes, dreams, and birthdays missed.
Each day that passes without their return is a dagger in the soul of Israel. A nation founded on the principle that never again will Jewish lives be abandoned must now stare into the abyss of uncertainty, haunted by the faces of its stolen sons and daughters.
The hostages are not just pawns in a war—they are the central weapon of Hamas’ psychological warfare. Hamas is not merely holding them for leverage; it is using them to break Israel’s spirit. Periodic proof of life videos, sudden releases of letters, and threats of execution are all part of a strategy of terror that targets not only the Israeli government but its society.
The terrorists know that Israeli families value life above all. They know that Israel goes to unthinkable lengths to bring its citizens back home. This very value system—which sets Israel apart from its enemies—is being weaponized against it.
Even during previous ceasefire negotiations, Hamas has delayed, deceived, and demanded lopsided exchanges. It is believed that some of the hostages were used as human shields, placed near command centers or tunnel systems to deter Israeli airstrikes. Others were moved repeatedly, hidden among civilians, or placed in medical distress to increase their propaganda value.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has been controversial in international media, but it is important to remember one critical aspect: Israel is fighting to defend its people. Hamas is using people to defend itself.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have consistently operated under the immense burden of rescuing hostages even as they dismantle terrorist infrastructure. It is a paradox almost no other military faces—destroy the enemy without harming those the enemy hides behind or holds.
In November 2023, during a brief ceasefire, 105 hostages were returned to Israel in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. It was a heart-wrenching exchange, but for every Israeli returned, it was a life saved.
Yet, even then, many families were left behind. Their children did not walk free. Their parents were not on the buses returning to Israel. Their hopes were not fulfilled. For them, the war has not ended, and cannot end—not until the doors open, the soldiers stand down, and their loved ones walk back home.
It is a tragedy not only of brutality but of global hypocrisy that the international community has largely failed to put sustained pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
The United Nations, which holds emergency sessions over civilian deaths in Gaza, rarely devotes more than a passing mention to the hostages. Global powers speak of proportionality and diplomacy, but seem unmoved by the disproportionate suffering of families whose children were dragged screaming across borders.
Where are the women’s rights organizations demanding justice for the female hostages reportedly raped, abused, and dehumanized in captivity? Where are the human rights watchdogs speaking up for the elderly Holocaust survivors kidnapped from their homes?
Israel is not waging a war of conquest. It is waging a battle for its very soul, and for the lives of 50 people who have done nothing wrong except exist in a country hated by an ideology rooted in genocidal antisemitism.
True victory is not measured in military achievements or political declarations. It is not in the number of Hamas operatives eliminated or tunnels destroyed. It is not in post-war reconstruction plans or diplomatic deals. True victory will be when those 50 hostages come home—not in coffins, but in warm embraces.
Victory is when a mother’s tears turn to joy, not mourning.
Victory is when the empty chairs at Shabbat dinners are filled again.
Victory is when a kidnapped child, brutalized by monsters, can finally sleep in peace.
Until then, the job is not done. The mission is not over. The war may quieten, but the wound remains open.
Israel and America may have struck a decisive blow by targeting Iran—the head of the Axis of Evil, the financier and mastermind behind Hamas, Hezbollah, and global terror proxies. Strategically, it sends a powerful message: those who orchestrate terror will not be safe, no matter how far or fortified. But let us not confuse tactical success with moral victory.
How can we speak of triumph when Israeli hostages still remain in Gaza—held, tortured, and used as bargaining chips by Hamas?
Each day they remain captive is a reminder that the war is not over. The mission is incomplete. The wound is still open.
True victory will only come when the last hostage comes home. Alive. Safe. Free. Until then, no strike, no alliance, no declaration can be called a victory.
Israel must remain resolute. Any negotiations or ceasefires must center hostage release as a non-negotiable priority. Allies of Israel, particularly the United States, must leverage all diplomatic tools to pressure Qatar and others with influence over Hamas to ensure the hostages’ safe return.
Every public campaign, every international event, every media opportunity must raise the names and faces of those still in captivity. The world must not look away. The world must not move on.
And within Israel, the unity of purpose must be unbreakable. No internal political division, no protest, no dissent should ever overshadow the national obligation to bring back those still held behind enemy lines.
Israelis have always lived with the knowledge that survival is not a right but a daily struggle. Yet what distinguishes Israel from its enemies is the unwavering commitment to life. While Hamas celebrates death—its own and that of its enemies—Israel holds sacred the life of every single citizen.
This is not just a military or political issue. It is a moral imperative. These 50 souls are not bargaining chips. They are not collateral. They are family. And in the Jewish tradition, saving a single life is considered as if saving an entire world.
There will be no true celebration, no sense of justice, no healing—until the remaining hostages are free.
Until then, we repeat what Israelis across the country now say with conviction:
“Bring Them Home. Now.”
