For 1,941 days, Noam Shalit did what any parent would do - he moved heaven and earth to bring his son home. Shalit walked the halls of power, slept in protest tents, spoke to anyone who would listen. He didn't care about politics or strategy or what anyone thought. He cared about one thing: his son Gilad was somewhere in Gaza, and he needed to come home.
Everyone in Israel (or most of us) was ecstatic at his release.
Sadly though, that joy was short sighted.
One of the people released during the controversial Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange was Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the October 7th massacre, an arch terrorist who was happiest planning and executing rape, mutilation and murder of Israeli citizens.
And Israel was warned not to to release him, but they did it anyway. Anything to get back our soldier, right?
Well, yes but also- NO. We all know how that ended.
That's why - although the hostage families yell and scream- as they should- it's up to Israel to do things differently this time. We also all know that every major prisoner release has eventually led to more Israeli deaths.
In fact, according to Israeli government sources, these released prisoners were collectively responsible for 569 Israeli deaths. And that was before October 7th 2023, which we are still paying for.
This is Israel's impossible equation. Release prisoners to save lives today, risking more lives tomorrow. Or stand firm and watch hostage families endure unimaginable agony, knowing their loved ones are trapped somewhere in Gaza's tunnels. How do you look a hostage family in the eyes and tell them that you are resigning their loved one to endless torture, suffering and even death?
But how do you look a family in their eyes after a released terrorist murders their son or daughter, their mother or father? And you know you bear the responsibility for this death, because you let their murderer out of jail, not to mention the other murders that will inevitably follow.
Because tigers don't change their stripes. And after spending years in Israeli captivity, these 'tigers' are more brutal, more angry and more deadly than ever before.
Some people will point to the Shalit deal, others to the Jibril agreement.
But historical comparisons fall short because nothing in Israel's history compares to October 7. Never before have so many civilians been taken at once, never before has the country faced such a stark choice on such a massive scale.
Whatever choice Israel makes, it will haunt the country for generations. There is no clean solution, no perfect strategy - only the cruel reality that every decision carries a terrible price.
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