No room for peace

This past week, like everyone else, I read that from the remaining hostages they would return both living and dead victims. I know I should be happy that it means that living hostages will return home to their loved ones. Hamas has even finally released the names of the three female captives, making it a little more real.

My problem is a layered one.

Among those that will be released in the first phase (after more than a year) are an entire family (Bibas). The mother was seen taken with both her infant and toddler, while her husband was also taken. At a point Hamas made the father say that Israeli strikes killed the rest of his family. What will happen when they return the bodies of the dead family members (assuming the are in fact dead)? Will the world be outraged by the fact that Hamas took them and were therefore responsible for their lives? Or will they continue to demonize Israel for attacking a group of murdering-raping-kidnapping “freedom fighters” shielding themselves with hostages and their own civilians? Will it matter? The point here is that they continue to say it is justified to take an entire family captive and put them in direct harm. And that is after murdering the grandparents in the same town.

What about Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy who were abducted together from Nahal Oz and were featured in videos with what looked like sex hungered rapists eying them and saying “you’re beautiful” after being taken captive? I can’t stop thinking about them either. What if any of them are returned dead? Is the world going to continue justifying their deaths since they were soldiers?

What about that Israel will release Palestinians that were incarcerated - majority of them for carrying attacks to regular civilians, including attempted mass killings and actual murder - in exchange for any of these hostages that were taken abruptly from their homes?

I’ve lost all hope. There are still protesters proudly wearing their keffiyehs, saying they only hate Zionists, and that they want a ceasefire - but given the overwhelming evidence, they just want Jews to suffer. To them were simply less than human.

I’m no so sure that there is a path to peace. Not anymore.