In a jaw-dropping moment on Israeli TV, a desperate mother of a Hamas hostage made an unthinkable proposal to the terrorist group's leader: swap your captives for the children of Israel's top brass.
Ditsa Or, whose son Avinatan is held in Gaza, stunned viewers of Channel 12's popular news show when she addressed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar directly.
"I'll offer you something new," Or said, her voice steady but eyes blazing. "Return 109 hostages at once, and you'll get five in return."
But these weren't just any five. Or suggested handing over the children of Israel's military and security heads: Herzi Halevi, Ronen Bar, Nitzan Alon, Yoav Gallant and the Military Advocate General.
The bombshell offer left hosts Avri Gilad and Yair Sharki scrambling. "I found it hard to believe what I was hearing," Gilad later admitted, visibly shaken.
The controversial suggestion has ignited a firestorm of debate. Some sympathize with Or's desperation, while others, like Knesset member Merav Ben Ari, are outraged. "Terrible. Where have we come to?" Ben Ari fumed.
As Israel grapples with this latest twist in the hostage saga, the pain of waiting families is pushing some to unimaginable extreme.
* Kikar Shabbat contributed to this article.