Start Date: October 18, 2025
THE CELEBRATIONS
Early October 2025 it was announced that a peace deal had been orchestrated by President Donald Trump’s administration to allow for the return of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and hopes for some quiet in that part of the world. The future of the Middle East is always murky, but the primacy of returning hostages was the key. It is measurable, of highest importance, and irreversible, at least for those individuals.
The TV news showed a split screen: Israel and Gaza. Both were celebrating. As is always the case, Israel released thousands of prisoners, some murderers, to get back a small number of citizens. For all the violence, rescuing lives has always been their priority.
So there they were on the right. Israelis screaming and crying and dancing. Girls with their arms entwined, dancing in circles with glee for the soon to be freed hostages.
On the left were the men of Gaza jumping and cheering, some sitting on each other’s shoulders. But no girls as far as I could see. Women typically aren’t to be out without male relatives escorting them. I had a flashback to my time in grad school. One of my dearest friends was from Syria. He and his wife graciously had me to dinner in their graduate apartment. I was introduced to the glory of cardamom tea. I don’t recall him having any strong religious inclinations but he did quietly let me know that at 29, I would be un-marriageable in his country. I suppose destined to live at home as the spinster. Within a year of that time I spent a summer in Japan. I was something of an oddity being a 30 year old single woman. But the only real comment was when I was on a tourist outing that included a Jordanian man. He was very pleasant but seemed to be clear that I ought to be living with my brothers. I remember laughing at the idea of telling my brothers that they had to take me in. But then I guess I would be expected, by this man, to be the aunty helping with the household in exchange for mercy on my barren existence.
In either case it seemed that I belonged to male relatives.
To each culture its own values. But it was so striking on
The Split Screen.
THE HOSTAGES
I had seen an old photo of one of the hostages. He looked every bit the image of a holocaust victim at the end of WWII. Maybe 90 pounds. Nothing but bones. Hollowed cheeks. Sunken eyes. A beard. He was in a dark pit. He was holding a small shovel, having been forced to dig his grave.
A commentator had warned that we might not be able to see the hostages when they were released. She meant that they might be in such horrible shape that it would invade their dignity. Maybe on a stretcher, unable to walk, or eyes covered to protect from daylight after months in the dark. They could have open wounds or infections given the conditions in which they had been marginally surviving, or in organ failure from malnutrition.
But then there was the video. Men seemingly whole. I will understand if they are in therapy for the rest of their lives, as well as having other health issues. But here they were in respectable body weight, clear eyes in the light, clean, hair cut, shaved, and with enough strength to not only walk but stay on their feet when loved ones jumped on them from a full sprint.
It is not possible to gain 40 to 50 pounds overnight. It is probably easier if you are going from healthy to overweight. But a person who has been starved for a long time will take some time to even be able to tolerate food. This sort of transformation must have taken several months.
Second to the joy of their release this is the most important observation.
Hamas knew. They knew, several months ago, that they were heading toward this point and that they had better cover up the overt evidence of their torture.
What happened on that time frame?
Donald J. Trump.
He was elected in November 2024, inaugurated in January 2025, and in February 2025 Benjamin Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to be his guest. Eight months later the hostages returned home looking like they could blend in with anyone on the street.
Omer Shea Tov, one of the hostages who came home in an earlier release indicated that Hamas very much wanted Kamala Harris to be elected. They were scared of Donald Trump. Mr. Tov, in an interview on CNN, described being a hostage for more than 500 days, and losing 50 pounds. But when Mr. Trump became President he was fed more food and treated better [1,2].
Who knows if they will be able to function, have relationships, work, or sleep without night terrors. It will vary from person to person. But these men recently released are the last from the massacre of Oct 7, 2023. What they have seen and endured for over 2 years is unimaginable. But for now they are the model of happy well beings because Hamas was terrified of showing them as they were for most of, and the worst of, the last two years.
The Split Screen.
THE KEFFIYEHS
An unimaginable massacre took place attacking young people at a concert, and babies to elders in a kibbutz.
Your response was to violently protest against the victims. But you insisted it was all about
“Free Palestine”
Israeli removed all their citizens from Gaza in 2005. Plenty of time to do something productive if power hadn’t been ceded to Hamas and its corruption, if hate wasn’t the mother’s milk of Palestinian education. You or our parents should remember seeing them cheering the 9-11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Maybe you wanted to skip a class or exam. Maybe your professor gave you extra credit. You seem to not understand what Hamas thinks of women and gays and pronouns and what it would be like to live in a strict Muslim society. Maybe you can save the scarf for Halloween. You won’t last long where they are a wardrobe as opposed to a costume.
Well Israel has left again, for now.
You got your cease fire. Where is the celebration?
Of course there is the other image. Palestinians being dragged out to the streets, tied up and shot to death in public. Not by the IDF, but by Hamas. Your heroes are executing your chosen victims.
I don’t see your concern for Palestine now
Where are you? You should be out protesting, so I can see your pain on
The Split Screen
REFERENCES
[1] Proper, David, “Freed Israeli hostage says Hamas treated him better after Trump was elected — and that terror group wanted Harris to win”, NY Post, May 28, 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/05/28/world-news/freed-israeli-hostage-omer-shem-tov-says-hamas-treated-him-better-after-trump-won/
[2] Fields, Ashleigh, “Freed Israeli hostage says he was treated ‘better’ after Trump win”, The Hill, May 29, 2025, https://thehill.com/policy/international/5323363-israeli-hostage-captors-fear-trump/