We are not O.K. Israel is not O.K. We had steeled our collective ssoouls for yesterday, the hardest day since 7/8 October, when the Hamas terrorists and “innocent civilians” of Gaza broke into Israel raping, murdering, looting, bombing, destroying and kidnapping true innocent civilians. Soldiers, yes. But also men and women. Teenagers. Concert attendees. Thai, Nepalese, Filipino, Eritrean and Indian day-workers. Bedouin Arab Muslims. And children. And little babies. Over 14,000 people were massacred that day. Scores wounded. And over 250 people taken captive into Gaza.

Under the latest ceasefire agreement, several dozen captives are being returned in exchange for thousands of convicted terrorists serving long sentences in Israeli jails. But more on that later- Israel has rejoiced as five beautiful, strong, resilient female IDF soldiers were released. We’ve gasped and we’ve cried to see the brutal treatment of some of the hostages on display with sick psychological torture to the very end. Men and women civilians taken captive – true prisoners – were paraded through hostile radical Islamic crowds, emerging as skeletons – mere shadows of their former selves. We were reminded of the atrocities of the Holocaust and the brutality against Jews throughout the centuries.

Yesterday was the most cruel day of all. It seemed all of the Palestinians were out in the streets. All ages celebrating what they perceive to be their victory in this war. Children carried on the shoulders of their fathers, out to cheer the grand parade as the victims dead bodies were carried to the main performance stage. Sweets and candies were being handed out. Glitter and confetti thrown and Palestinian flags raised high.

From a drone’s perspective, the crowd at the hand-off site was made to stand in the shape of a large piece of male anatomy. It was another swipe at Israel. “This is what we’re doing to you. You are being royally screwed and it’s on display for the entire world. We are in control. You are nothing.”

In a ghastly, demonic display of the ugliest and most macabre choreography, the black coffins of four innocent Jews were given over to the Red Cross to transfer to Israel. We would later find out the coffins were locked with no keys given and they were glued shut. Among those the boxes contained was the remains of an 85 year old great-grandfather. Oded Lifshitz, one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was a gifted pianist. He was a peace activist who helped Gazans who were ill, by transporting them to the hospital for medical (cancer) treatments. He even let Palestinians stay in his home as they were undergoing chemo and radiation. He was known for his kindness to all. May he finally rest in peace.

Also returned were two small children. Ariel Bibas, age 4, and Kfir Bibas, 9 months when captured. Israel had grown to love these little red haired boys as their own children. And their mother, Shiri. It was horrific, but they were coming home at long last. Or were they? And in what condition? (See my blogpost from yesterday for the full update) If you remember yesterday, when I said we wouldn’t know for sure who were in those coffins until a full identification and possible DNA analysis was made on the bodies? I was not being sardonic, but realistic. Knowing the barbarity of these people who act more like monsters than human beings: their entire world is bent on inflicting maximum pain and anguish on Israel.

We are coming to the realization that there are few, if any, truly innocent civilians in Gaza. The same people who stayed with Oded Lifshitz and his wife mapped out their entire house for the 7October attacks. His wife saw people she knew taking items from her house as she was carried off. It was the ‘civilian population’ who were last seen taking Shiri Bibas and the two children away into Gaza. And it is the youngest of the children who are being groomed to hate Jews and to kill and murder and celebrate death.

This morning we woke up to the news:

We are utterly devastated. Shocked. Angry. Insensed. And that is exactly the reaction the terrorists want. But what else did we expect? Seriously!! And where in literal hell is Shiri????? Is she even still alive? Her parents were killed. The family dog was shot. Their home destroyed. Her husband, Yarden was released last week, told by Hamas that he would be reunited with his family back in Israel. He would soon find out that other members of his family were massacred. How will he deal with all of this when the one thing that helped him survive in the dark, underground tunnel was the thought of seeing and holding his wife and babies again? And those boys!! All we know is that they were “brutally murdered” in November, 2023. No specifics. Do we even want to know?

Back to the prisoner release swap. As part of this ‘great deal,’ Israel is emptying its prisons of caught, tried, and convicted murderers…people who have rammed cars into crowds; committed stabbings; planned suicide missions for other Palestinians; planned or executed bombings in which multiple people were killed and injured; committed multiple shootings; stole or smuggled contraband weapons and bomb making materials into Gaza/Judaea/Samaria. Tomorrow 802 women and teenagers will be set free, back into Gaza, East Jerusalem and the ‘West Bank’ (Judaea/Samaria). All have committed serious acts of terror and attempted murder. Many of those released in the past few weeks have openly vowed to kill as many Jews as possible in as short time as possible.

Last night, at about midnight, there was a huge explosion in the seaside city of Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv. Five busses exploded at the bus terminal. I thank and praise G-d for this miracle. No one was killed or hurt. The explosive devices planted in the busses were reportedly planned to explode simultaneously all over town at exactly 9am, the height of Friday morning bus travel. It would have resulted in hundreds of casualties. Arab Palestinians put the timers on their bombs, that detonated way too early. Already two suspects, caught on security cameras, have been arrested. They were released prisoners from three weeks prior. One of the undetonated explosives found on a bus near Tel Aviv had the inscription in Arabic “ Revenge of the People of Tulkarm.”

Large police forces are still on the scene. Bomb disposal units have been dispatched throughout Israel to check each bus and train. Ben Gurion Airport as well as the other two smaller airports have tightened security around the perimeter. All vehicles will be thoroughly searched prior to entering the premises. Only passengers and staff will be allowed to enter the airport and they will be searched before they can go inside. (If you are going to Ben Gurion, expect heavy delays and arrive at least four hours early). Security has been tightened everywhere.

The public is urged to stay away from and affected areas and to remain vigilant for any suspicious items or activity.

And so, with heavy hearts, uplifted arms to G-d, and open eyes, we enter into the weekend. Shabbat, our Island of Peace. We await the next gruesome parade and staged spectacle from Gaza as 6 more hostages are expected to be released.

I beg you, please pray for us this weekend. In your synagogues. In your churches. In your homes with your families. Pray for us. We are broken people today… we still have 66 hostages being held in Gaza.

This past week has been intense. Really, really intense emotionally, mentally and spiritually. For me and for all of Israel. And today even the weather is an expression of what is churning inside us. The rather warm winter is giving way to high winds and angry looking skies, thunder and lightning, interspersed with breaks of glorious sunshine that are fleeting passages, only to be replaced by cloudbursts of driving, pounding rain and hail, then a rainbow and bitter cold winds.

I work part time as an independent journalist for a few magazines and e-news outlets. This week I was asked to cover two stories which had me interviewing the grieving parents and wives of fallen soldiers. What can I say? There are few words, but I have been privileged to be able to enter into the pain, the anger, the questioning, the hope and the love of these amazing people (I will eventually write a post about this). All are determined to honor their loved one’s legacy in beautiful and creative ways that not only help them, but the entire country move forward. Still, the heaviness is almost unbearable.

Last night, John and I had tickets to see our favorite Israeli artist, Idan Raichel. I cannot say enough about his music. I started following him in the early 2000’s when my Israeli girlfriend gave me one of his CDs. We saw him 4 times in Los Angeles and I’ve heard him perform 3 times here in Israel. Not only is he an extremely talented artist, his music is just beautiful to hear. An Israeli Medal of Honor recipient and Poet Laureate of Israel, his words (in Hebrew) are extremely profound and romantic in the highest of ways. Several make me cry. He sings of life, loss, love, family and the need to cherish every moment in this world and hold fast to what is good.

Before the concert started, the news had been leaked that the four deceased hostages to be returned the next day included an 85 year old grandfather and peace activist, Oded Lifshitz. He was abducted along with his wife, Yocheved, 82, who was returned December, 2023. Oded spent much of his life advocating for co-existence with the Palestinians and spreading peace, taking sick Gazans to the Israeli hospitals for their cancer treatments. Just let that sink in: the Hamas monsters kidnapped elderly people in their 80s and then left several to die or be killed in those terror tunnels. This Israeli man helped them live. it is ironic that a man who dedicated his life to peace was murdered by the same group he sought to dialogue with. After her release, Yocheved described her brutal treatment at the hands of the terrorists.

And then came news that we so dreaded to hear, shattering all our hearts. Our beloved Shiri Bibas and her babies, Ariel and Kfir are coming back in boxes. The Bibas family is still holding out hope that it is not them being returned, because Hamas has already delighted in the use of psychological warfare and torture of the Israeli people. Hamas proclaims captives are dead when there are actually signs of life. And they have told captives being released that their loved ones are alive and waiting for them, when they were, in fact, murdered. It’s a sick and twisted game they play. And our hearts and our insides are all in knots.

Last night’s concert, typically upbeat and celebratory, was a night of subdued intensity. (As an aside, we’ve been taken aback by how much people have aged over the past 16 months, we included. Idan seemed to have grown a decade or more older in the past year). It was in no way political, but the songs all spoke to our heart. Especially this one, “In the Night,” which was written in 2008.

This morning at 8:00 am, the macabre, demonic show began. It was more than difficult to find a live feed, since (thankfully and rightly) Israeli stations, and even Memri and AlJazeera were not streaming live coverage. Today the streets were thronged with “the innocent civilians of Gaza” all waving flags and cheering as there procession of four white Red Cross vehicles carrying the bodies of deceased hostages rolled through. At one point, the path was so clogged, the convoy had to pause for minutes. Palestinian flag-waving celebrants we’re jumping on the tops of the Red Cross SUVs. They were handing out candy and sweets. (It’s a famine everyone. Remember that. People are starving).

At the designated ceremonial location, today’s stage was all black. With black curtains opening to reveal a most hideous photoshopped canvas backdrop. It featured photographs of the Bibas family and Lifshitz covered in a pool of blood. An image of Netanyahu with vampire fangs, dripping blood and spattered with blood, dripped onto those photographs of the deceased hostages. (At this point many of us were/are still holding out hope beyond hope that it was all a psy-op and that the bodies inside were not those of the captives). The heading for this one read “The War Criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi Army Killed Them With Missiles and Their Zionist War Weapons.”

The pallbearers of this surreal Satanic ritual appeared all dressed in black. Their faces covered. Different colored headbands represented the separate, but united, factions of resistance (terrorism). They came carrying simple wooden coffins painted black. Each coffin had the photo of the deceased and their name in Hebrew (the name ‘Ariel’ was emblazoned underneath the picture of Kfir. Your guess is as good as mine on that one. The photo of Netanyahu with the Hebrew for evil dictator and. Nazi killer was written underneath. Four coffins were placed on the stage. In the background, a loudspeaker played festive Arabic music as the crowd chanted along and clapped to the rhythm.

As usual, members of the Red Cross were there to sign the papers. This time no certificates of goody bags were issued. They approved the hand off and loaded each of the coffins into waiting vehicles. The Red Cross vehicles then met the IDF at the appointed location. At some point, after the exchange was made (Idid not see this happen), the black boxes were changed for white coffins with the flag of Israel draped over them.

By the time the bodies reached Israel and were transferred to Israeli ambulances (ZAKA), the streets were lined with police, military and mourners – saluting and waving Israeli flags. The bodies were taken to a Tel Aviv forensics unit to identify the remains and the cause of death.

In the meantime, Hamas journalists were interviewing the “innocent civilians” who kidnapped Shiri and children. It was the face of evil. Arab reporters indicated that the kidnappers are still alive and were proud of their deeds that day. One person even joked about kidnapping the dog and then shooting it in front of the family.

No other people on earth parade their war crimes in front of the world to see. No other people celebrate it in their town squares, or what is left of them. Of coffins being put on display in a weird, sick, twisted show. The coffins stamped “Arrested 7/10/2023”. Never forget the world wants to reward this kind of barbarity with their own state. Anybody that doubts the brutality of these terrorists or thinks these people can be negotiated with needs to re-examine the whole story as well as their own core values.

The last straw, the last thing that broke my heart was a statement released by the Ministry of Health. “The identification process of Kfir will be complicated. Usually, identification is done through cross referencing teeth. Kfir was kidnapped before his teeth grew in.”

I want to cry. I want to scream from the top of my lungs on my balcony. I want the world to see the real side of this whole ugly mess and what Israel is up against. I should be writing my commissioned stories for the newspaper. The stories of grieving parents. Parents, who after losing their sons when a building booby trapped by Hamas exploded and collapses killing 4, wounding 10 seriously of whom 3 are still in comas – these parents visit one another in consolation and support, and then go to the hospitals together to visit the families of the survivors. We do not gloat over death and destruction. We value life.

Oded Lifshitz was just identified as one of the corpses. “The grieving state of Israel does not have to wait for the cause of death to be determined. The only cause of death is that a grandfather and a mother and her children were kidnapped from their home on Shabbat Simchat Torah morning,” stated Idan Raichel just a few minutes ago.

We will cry. We will mourn. We will grieve. We will lift our voices to G-d and pray. But we will move forward. We will go on. Why? Because there is no other choice. In the end our enemies will be vanquished. We will live. We will dance again. Just not today- May the memories of all the fallen and all the murdered be for a blessing to those who think of them.

Again, if you find this interesting or important, or if this another side that you have not seen reported, please, please share this with as many people as possible. The world really needs to know the truth.

(As an update… just got the report that Hamas attached a little parting note to Oded’s coffin. It reads: To the family of Oded Lifshitz. We would have preferred your sons to return to you alive, but your own army and great leaders chose to kill them instead of bringing them back. You were the victim of a leadership that does not care about its children.” How horrific is this? Trying to divide the country against Netanyahu in the middle of all that is going on. This is neither the time nor the place. In the meantime, I have procrastinated the writing of these articles. One due tomorrow. The other next Monday and it’s getting later by the minute….

Yesterday was Shabbat. The show always happens on Shabbat, at the insistence of Hamas. Why? Because it is the one day of the week when the Jewish people are supposed to be at peace. It is a day of rest, not just from physical labor, but from mental and emotional burdens. Shabbat is a day of joy. The one day that televisions and cell phones and computers are put aside and you spend time with family and friends and nature… and G-d.

But the show must go on. And yes, it is joyful when more captives are released. The entire country exults when just one person is freed from captivity in Gaza, but at what cost? Firstly…. The shows. Very well choreographed displays are put on in the return and release ceremonies in Gaza. They are all filled with deep meaning and symbols meant for Israel. Hamas announces to us “The war is not over. We have really won. We are still here and not going anywhere except into Israel where we will kill its inhabitants and conquer the land, especially Jerusalem. We are the victors.”

Let me explain. Yesterday’s ceremony was especially painful to watch. The terrorists were gathered together in Khan Younis, several different groups all united. The ISIS troops and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were the soldiers dressed in all black with green helmets and the black and yellow flag and black headbands. Then there were the Hamas fighters in their camouflaged uniforms and green headbands. There were members of the AlQassam Brigade represented in dark green camouflage with floppy hats. And the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade was there in stolen green IDF and stolen weapons (the terrorist in the green camo with back roll and red keffiyeh in front of the white van), as well as dark ‘cammies’ and red keffiyahs. A show of Islamic unity. In addition to arriving in their brand new white pickups as per usual, they brought in a white van and a large black Dodge Ram truck. Both were stolen from inside Israel on 7 October, 2023 and were being used to show their “booty” in addition to the people they took.

Of course, the Red Cross members were led out of the vans, driven and escorted by Hamas members. The Red Cross signed off on the hostage release… once again that all hostages were in good physical condition, even though they were never once visited or their status checked on. The Red Cross is a sham and just glorified Uber drivers in this situation.

Again, the stage was decorated symbolically. Several flags are on display: the Palestinian, Hamas, PIJ, Daesh (ISIS) and other brigade flags I did not recognize. To the left of the dais, the newly designed canvas poster showed a picture of Yahya Sinwar sitting in his bombed-out house where he was killed, on his red sofa, looking out over the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. There is a conquering Palestinian flag over the Temple Mount. The writing in Arabic, English and Hebrew reads “No immigration except to Jerusalem.” That means they will not stop fighting until Jerusalem and all Israel is conquered.

The poster at the bottom that stretches along the length of the platform shows photographs of Israeli army bases and Israeli villages and kibbutzim. The words read, “We crossed over swiftly.” It tells Israel that Hamas have done it once, and will do it again. There is no regret, only pride. The photoshopped canvas that hangs to the right shows all the past (martyred) and present leaders of Hamas. It is to give inspiration to the Palestinians. At the bottom is a picture of the Old City of Jerusalem…which they indicate will be conquered.

And of course, the center canvas displays a large photo of the Holy City of Jerusalem, holy to not only Muslims and Jews but to Christians. It contains the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus walked with his cross, the Holy Sepulchre, the Upper Room of the Last Supper (which is in the same building upstairs from King David’s holy burial site). It also contains many different Churches that are very important in Christianity. And the Kotel, the Western Wall, and many sites that are extremely holy to Judaism. The writing on this banner proclaims to all the Islamic World, “O Jerusalem, bear witness, we are your soldiers.” This is a direct threat to Western Civilization. It is most important that you understand their message! They are not playing around, but announcing directly their intentions.

Three Israeli captives, Yair Horn Sasha Troufanov (a Russian Israeli), and Sagi Dekel-Chen (American Israeli), were paraded onto the stage with their certificates and goodie bags. I was watching on AlJazeera news live, Memri TV, and i24news to see all sides. The reporters (only Muslim) were present with their expensive cameras and recording equipment. All “journalists” wore the military terror uniforms. The hostages were made to thank their captors for their excellent treatment.

Hamas gave the released hostages a “special parting gift” to pass along to Einav Zangauker, the mother of the hostage, Matan, who is still being held captive. It was a beautiful hourglass with green sand. On it was a photo of Einav and Matan and the inscription in Arabic, Hebrew and English: Time is Running Out. How incredibly thoughtful of them!! Another act of psychological torture even at the end. These are evil monsters we are dealing with.

We are all overjoyed at their homecoming. Still, Sasha today learned that his father was murdered on Oct. 7. His grandmother, mother and girlfriend were also kidnapped, and he was shot in both legs while taken hostage. He returned limping. Yair was taken along with his brother, Eitan, into Gaza. Only Yair was released, and if you watch the video, not only was he limping, but escorted by the arms and holding on to nearby objects to balance. His brother was left nehind, not even one of the names included for this Phase 1 hostage release cycle. Sagi was captured before his daughter was born and missed the first year of her life. Today his wife told him, she named their baby Shachar Mazal…Dawn of Mazal (fortune). All of their homes on the Nir Oz kibbutz were completely bombed and burned out.

Also yesterday, Israel released a few prisoners. 369 to be exact. That’s not 30 or 50 convicted terrorists per Israeli civilian. It’s 123. That’s unbelievable. I don’t know why we kowtow to these negotiators. Israel is its own worst enemy. It’s the truth and I say it out loud now. 31 prisoners, who were serving multiple life sentences for planning terror attacks that killed or wounded multiple people, were deported. 124 convicted felons were released into Judaea and Samaria (West Bank). The remaining 214 were bussed back into Gaza. They had been picked up on 7October during the terror attacks.

Upon the first prisoner release, they were all wearing white wristbands that said in Arabic and Hebrew, “The eternal people do not forget.” It also includes a verse from Psalm 18: “ I will pursue my enemies and catch them.”

The next release the prisoners all wore black jackets emblazoned with a yellow ribbon and a “never forget/never again” in memory/honor of the hostages still remaining. Yesterday, the group was released wearing a white t-shirt with the IDF symbol and a blue Star of David. As soon as they got to Ramallah, they took off their shirts and burned them. Some would say these wristbands and shirts were also psychological torture.

In other news, as I was watching AlJazeera, I saw two things: small Gazan children as young as four or five, wearing terror headbands, some dressed as soldiers, many holding guns. All were chanting allahu akhbar and other chants. Also, within fifteen minutes of release, one terrorist, donned his head covering as well as a gun (illegal Karl Gustav?). He was shouting that he would soon kill many Jews. The Resistance is alive and well.

What more is there to write?