The Gaza hostages still aren't with us, and we think of them everyday - editorial

The Jerusalem Post hosted dozens of hostage families at our annual conference in New York City on Monday and at the previous evening’s gala event.

Emotions were running high on Sunday evening when Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel, took to the stage to speak about his daughter, an IDF lookout who was killed by Hamas terrorists. Heartache echoed in every word. Nevertheless, he spoke when so many of us would have collapsed with grief.

The gala concluded with an intense panel interview with family members of hostages: Devorah Idan, mother of Tsachi Idan; Moshe Emilio Lavi, brother-in-law of Omri Miran; and Ronen Neutra, father of Omer Neutra.They told the mortifying stories of the kidnapping of their loved ones.

Tsachi Idan was taken after being held in his home at gunpoint for hours. Omri Miran was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz alongside his wife and daughters, who were later recovered; Omer Neutra was taken while defending Israel along the Gaza border.

Losing sight of what is important 

Sometimes, when we focus on policy issues such as whether to accept a hostage deal or fight until the end in the Gaza Strip, we can lose sight of what is most important and what is at the center of our reasoning for fighting for what we believe in: the people.

Behind every policy, every decision, and every crudely yelled debate in the Knesset are hostages and their brothers, sisters, parents, and partners. There are people suffering the unimaginable, and we are losing sight of them. It is tearing our nation apart.

We do not have to agree with one another, but once we lose the respect that is so central to this fight for the existence of Israel and its citizens, we lose the central piece that must – and it truly must – be the motivation for how we operate in the Gaza Strip.

During the gala, shortly after the panel, we brought hostage families onto the stage. We lit our phone flashlights in a message of hope for the hostages, and we – the entire audience – stood to sing Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah: “The Hope.”

We stood with our hostages and their families, we continue to do so, and we must never stop doing so.

Speaking at the conference the following day, Prof. Jonathan Dekel-Chen argued for a hostage deal, adding that he does not need to learn about Hamas. He understood exactly what he was saying: Israel “must negotiate with Satan.”

“No one here in this room or anywhere else needs to convince me what Hamas is,” he said. “I’ve lived on that border since 1981. I’ve been under Hamas mortars, rocket fire, and explosive balloons since 2008, so spare me the patriotism. We have held forth until October 7. There is no military solution. We have to negotiate with Satan to get our loved ones home.”

An eerie silence filled the room. It is understandable that many do not agree that a deal is necessary: They believe the war must continue until the end.

As Herb Keinon wrote in Wednesday’s Post, we often lose sight of the fact that the enemy in the Gaza war is not from within Israel; it is Hamas. Whether or not one thinks that a ceasefire is necessary or that Israel must fight until total victory, it’s ultimately up to Hamas to accept or reject a deal.

We at The Jerusalem Post host a myriad of opinions. No plan is perfect, but behind every thought, theory, and decision regarding the continuation of the war against Hamas and the efforts to bring home the hostages is one unifying thread that must not be forgotten: There are families behind the numbers.

These heroes who took to the stage in New York are devoting every second of their now-suffered existence to their loved ones being held in God-only-knows-what conditions by terrorists.

We celebrate life, and we must continue to do so. Our motivation – our jus ad bellum – must revolve around a respect for human lives.

To the hostage families that attended our conference: Thank you for sharing your story. We may not always agree, but we will always respect you and your loved ones.

 We see you, we hear you, and we are always thinking of you.