Whoever signed the release of the Shifa director made the IDF's task Sisyphean - opinion

Since the beginning of the war, we have heard from many TV studio commentators and experts about the Sisyphean work of the IDF soldiers in moving from house to house and eliminating threats.

Whenever I hear this expression and compare IDF operations to those of Sisyphus, I move uncomfortably in my seat, as I consider it a total mistake to describe the IDF’s activities this way. 

To understand the intention, let us recall the Greek myth in which Sisyphus was punished by the gods by having to push a heavy stone up a steep hill, but each time he reached the top, the stone would roll back down, and he had to start all over again. Thus, the action he performed was purposeless and endless. Is the activity of IDF soldiers in Gaza – as difficult as it may be – purposeless? Are we not fighting to retrieve our loved ones and achieve absolute peace and security at all costs?

With the release of the terrorist from Shifa hospital, who some refer to as the “Shifa hospital director,” it can indeed be said that the work being done is truly Sisyphean. That despicable murderer, captured by our brave soldiers, under whose feet hostages were hidden and murdered, was released by the State of Israel.

Soldiers fight, go from house to house and in hospitals, arrest despicable murderers, release them, and again go from house to house, arrest murderers, release them, and again go from house to house – this is what a tragic sad Sisyphean task looks like, which the best of soldiers are dying for. 

All those commentators and experts appear to have been on to something. 

IDF soldiers are risking their lives, and their work is being undone

IDF soldiers put their lives in danger every time they enter a suspicious home or a hospital filled with terrorists and explosives to make arrests. But then, the detainees are released due to legal or political constraints. This purposeless and seemingly endless task is rooted in utter stupidity. It burdens the soldiers, their families, and all life-seeking residents of Israel.

Whoever signed the release order for the murderer spits in the face of the heroic IDF soldiers, who are falling, defending those who send them on purposeless missions. Whoever signed the release for the despicable murderer from Shifa has crowned the entire Israel Defense Forces as Sisyphus and, in doing so, has written a tragic chapter in the history of the IDF.

The event of the murderer’s release should shake the very foundations on which we stand, yet it seems to have ended in a weak whimper. 

The writer is the mayor of Sderot.