Updated Below. The greatest thanksgiving for the families of the Israeli hostages would be the release of their loved ones from Gaza. Unfortunately that joyful day will be delayed until at least Friday. That is, unless the deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorists falls through.

Israeli National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi announced the delay on Wednesday evening:

The negotiations for the release of our hostages are constantly progressing… The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday.

In addition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that just because the Israeli hostages may be released, that doesn’t mean the war is ending:

We are committed to continuing until all our goals are met: securing the return of all our hostages, eradicating Hamas and ensuring that no group supporting terrorism, indoctrinating its children to terror or paying terrorists and their families, takes control in Gaza.

There are three main areas of contention between the two sides that need to be ironed out:

1. Hamas and Israel differ as to how many hostages are being held. That makes it difficult to determine just who will be released.
2. Israel does have a list of 300 Palestinians they could release, but hadn’t whittled it down to the agreed-upon 150 as of Wednesday evening.
3. The pause would allow for humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, there is no consensus on the amount of aid that would travel through Israel and Egypt.

Meanwhile, Israel announced how the release of the hostages would proceed: in four phases, with at least 10 in a group. This would happen during pauses in the fighting. Plus, the Israeli air force would refrain from flights over Gaza.

During the swap, Israel will release three Palestinian prisoners for each one of the Israeli hostages. These individuals will consist only of women and children — and most of these children are teenage boys. Their offenses include supporting terrorism, acts of violence and throwing stones, even a few for murder.

Fars Media Corporation, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

And Hamas? The terror group said that while they agreed to a truce, “our hands will remain on the trigger.”

Families of the Israeli Hostages Remain in a Hellish Limbo

After Israel announced the deal with Hamas for release of some hostages on Tuesday, friends of the families called to congratulate them. But in the hours afterwards, the government didn’t contact the families.

Yael Engel Lichi, the aunt of 12-grader Ofir Engel, said:

I am feeling like yesterday and the day before, only worse …

We don’t know anything. No official has been in touch to tell us anything. We are on the point of collapse. 

Plus there’s the hell of not knowing whether or not one’s family members will be released. Or even if they’re alive. Leland Vittert of News Nation interviewed an Israeli-American woman with several family members who are hostages.

Meanwhile the families wait. And hope. And pray.

What Will Become of Their Lives After Release?

Vittert was right: the Israeli hostages who return will never be the same. As he wrote in his daily War Notes:

They spent 50 days as captives of terrorists who roasted babies in ovens. PTSD doesn’t begin to describe the re-entry process.

Some of the kids coming home don’t know Hamas killed their parents. 

The deal separates some families, with only kids and wives coming home. Hamas will still hold fathers. 190 remain in that unthinkable horror. 

He concluded: In short: The nightmare is just beginning. 

In addition, Israeli public health official Dr. Hagai Levine further notes that the freed hostages won’t know the extent of the October 7 massacre. Plus, they may not have a home to return to. Many of their family members, friends and next-door neighbors may be dead, and they may not have known about it.

And then there’s their medical needs. The Israeli hostages may have been in a dark or dimly lit environment, so sunlight would be a shock. On top of that, they may be suffering from dehydration or malnutrition, Levine added. Plus about a third of the hostages will have been without their eyeglasses, hearing aids, or medication for chronic conditions.

They will also need their privacy when they return home, Dr. Levine said:

They may want to see their families, but maybe not all at once. Everyone in Israel and the rest of the world will want to know what’s going on with them, and we have to safeguard their medical privacy.

Then there’s the guilt the released hostages would experience: that they’re free and the others aren’t. Or perhaps they’ll claim that Hamas treated them well in order to protect the safety of those left behind.

Yes, indeed, one nightmare would be ending while another would just be starting.

Hamas May Take Advantage of the Israeli Hostages Release

Don’t count on Hamas to honor any sort of agreement between them and Israel. They have a history of violating ceasefires with Israel.

However, they might enter into a ceasefire and use it to their advantage. Over the agreed-upon four day ceasefire Hamas could rearm and regroup. They might steal the humanitarian aid designated for Palestinian civilians. And then their allies in the media will pressure Israel to not restart the fighting after the ceasefire is over.

Yet Prime Minister Netanyahu insists that Israel will not go wobbly:

The Israeli government, the IDF and the security forces will continue the war to return all the abductees, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that Gaza does not renew any threat to the State of Israel.

While we here in America are entering our most joyous holiday season, Israel is facing some dark days ahead. Continue to pray for them.

UPDATE: Haaretz reports that the ceasefire will begin on Friday morning with 13 hostages to be released in the afternoon.

Featured image: “Hostage” by Knee Deep Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Cropped.