After a nerve-racking few days since the hostage deal was first announced, we finally saw the first group of 13 Israelis released. 10 Thai nationals and 1 national from the Philippines were also released yesterday in a separate deal. We were so anxious about the deal and whether it would go through as planned, I can't even begin to imagine what it is like for the families of the hostages, many of whom don't know yet if their loved ones will be included in the groups being released in the next few days. When I saw the images of the released hostages together with my family we were overjoyed with emotion, though I have to admit that we were hoping to see little Abigail Mor Edan, whose parents were murdered by Hamas militants and just turned 4 yesterday, as well as Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel, 4 years old, and little Kfir, just 10 months old. There are 40 hostages under the age of 18 and 4 were released yesterday. It is not guaranteed that the rest are among the remaining 37 to be released since not all are held by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group is said to be holding hostages as well.
Overall 50 women and children will be released, and while we are overjoyed to see Israelis finally back home, our thoughts are with the hundreds who will not be released yet. Yesterday Keren Munder was released with her 9-year-old son Ohad and her mother Ruth Munder, but her father Abraham Munder, 78, was left behind in Gaza, hopefully a temporary situation. I am looking at the faces and names of the hostages, there are so many who have entered my heart after hearing their stories from their loved ones, among them: Noa Armagani, 26, Yarden Bibas, 34, Amiram Cooper, 84, Carmel Gat, 39, Romi Gonen, 23, Yotam Haim, 28, Hersh Goldberg Polin, 23, Guy Illouz, 26, Ofer Kalderon, 53, Oded Lifshitz, 83, Alon Ohel, 22, Chaim Peri, 79, and Mia Schem, 21. No one must be left behind.
I was moved to tears by Koolulam's version of Madonna's Like a Prayer, with the participation of the families of the hostages together with thousands of people from more than 100 locations around the world, in a moving show of support. As Yoni Asher, who was reunited yesterday with his wife Doron and his two children, Raz, 4, and Aviv, 2, said: "I am happy that I got my family back... but I don't celebrate. I won't celebrate until the last of the hostages returns."
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