“The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough.” (Psalm 49:8)
When we try to put a price on the life of a human being, we quickly realize there is no such thing. Ransoms don’t really come close. The cost is incalculable because we are of infinite value. Everything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and God Himself has proved He is willing to pay the highest price possible. But Israel is paying dearly in this hostage deal, exchanging 33 hostages for almost 2000 Palestinian prisoners, hundreds of whom have become millionaires in payment for their crimes. It’s not a deal at all — it’s extortion. When there is no other way to bring back the hostages, what can Israel do?
The price of just one life: no ransom’s too high
Kidnapping not an invention of Hamas — evil people have been capturing someone’s beloved and demanding high ransoms for their return, or profiting from them in some way since time eternal. It’s so ancient that kidnapping is even mentioned (and deplored) in the Bible:
Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession. (Exodus 21:16)
If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 24:7)
When the life of a loved one is at risk, the family will pay almost any amount in ransoms to have them back. They’ll do anything. Wicked people know this, and exploit the love for which no price is too high. This is Israel’s current nightmare, and the terrorist organizations all around the Jewish state understand well the Jewish love of life.
Back in 2011 Israel agreed to release 1027 Palestinian prisoners in order to secure the return of Gilad Shalit who had been held captive for five long years. One Israeli soldier in exchange for a thousand. Is that fair? It exemplifies the lengths Israel will go to for just one life.
One of those thousand prisoners was Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre. If Israel would release 1027 for one of their beloved citizens, just imagine the ransoms they could extract for hundreds of them! Sinwar callously studied modern Jewish literature while incarcerated in order to understand the Israeli culture and mindset. He received life-saving treatment when a cancerous growth was found in his brain. Israeli doctors saved his life, while he was plotting death and destruction for Israel. He understood well how Jewish people love life, to a remarkable degree.
Has he won? It doesn’t look good, does it? Almost 2000 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released for only a third of the remaining hostages. The vast majority will remain in captivity. More than that, most of the prisoners have been convicted of murder and terror offenses, and many have blood of their hands. These are rapists, mass-murderers, and terrorists.
But it gets even worse.
316 terrorists have been made millionaires while in prison
The Palestinian Authority uses money sent from taxpayers in the West to give terrorists and their families a monthly stipend in what has been euphemistically dubbed the “pay for slay” program. The Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund, the Prisoners Fund, and the Foundation for the Care of the Families of Martyrs financially compensate and support the families of those imprisoned or injured after carrying out violent acts against Israel. The more severe your crime, the longer your sentence, the more money you get. This sliding scale serves to incentivize acts of terror according to the Taylor Force Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 2017.
“It’s really a monthly murder stipend,” says Tal Hartuv.
She should know. In 2010 she miraculously survived a machete attack at the hands of one of these terrorists, and watched her friend get hacked to death in front of her eyes.
Now their attacker could walk free as a millionaire.
Tal Hartuv, who changed her name from Kay Wilson after it became so associated with the horrific attack, holds UK citizenship and is appalled that UK taxes are helping provide the money given to Palestinian prisoners. “It made me feel sickened with the rabid injustice of it all. Not only have they been getting fat salaries from British taxpayers’ money over the last year, but they’re now going to leave prison as millionaires.” In an interview with Jonathan Sacerdoti, She described how the aid given to the PA is “fungible” meaning exact accounting for the funds is not required.1 And this is what we get. Monthly murder stipends for prisoners. Now hundreds of them have literally accrued millions.
Itamar Marcus, founder of PalWatch, breaks down the numbers. More than 506 million shekels (more than $140 million) have been paid in stipends to the terrorists being released in the hostage deal, and that as a result, 316 terrorists are now millionaires.
Marcus posted on 𝕏, “In total the 734 terrorists being released have received 506,000,000 shekels, $141,837,000 as PA terror rewards,” adding, “The top winner is terrorist murderer Muhammad Al-Tous, who was paid 2,254,200 shekels, $631,394.”
Al-Tous is now ₪2,254,200 richer after his prison stay. He was incarcerated for his involvement in terror attacks and murder in 1985, but will now walk free a very rich man.
All the terrorists to be released in the exchange, including 200 murderers, have been receiving payments from the PA since their arrests, with the total now exceeding $140 million. This figure does not include the amount also given to the families of prisoners which is unknown.2
Hartuv expressed her frustration with the foreign aid given to the Palestinian Authority which is going directly into the pockets of convicted terrorists. She told Sacerdoti, “They give the PA billions – not millions – billions of dollars and it’s transferred to the PA in good faith.”
Although some countries such as the United States, Norway, Australia, the Netherlands and others have denounced and even cut off funding for the “monthly murder stipends” as Hartuv calls them, the pay for slay programs continue to incentivize terror, according to UN Watch.3
Ransoms from captivity and death
Yet Tal says she’s still in favor of getting the hostages home. “I wouldn’t say it’s a swap, it’s a ransom. We are paying a ransom for these dear people who have been kept in terrible conditions for months.” In a statement to ALL ISRAEL NEWS she said,
“This is a heart-wrenching and a terrible deal. It’s a no-win situation, and one of choiceless choices that stands to tear our nation to shreds. It is a repetition of history. It’s a bit like our forefather Jacob who wrestled with men and G-d. Hostage families, people in my position and all of this nation, are all wrestling with men and G-d. Men are the decision makers over whom we have no control. G-d in a broad sense, is the matters of feelings and ethics. We need compassion for the hostages and their families, and we equally need justice for our fallen soldiers, the bereaved and those like myself savaged by terrorism. They are of equal importance. In our history we have been through worse yet come through to the other side. I don’t know how, but if we can deal with this emotional balancing of justice and compassion one step at a time, we will prevail.”4
Throughout the Scriptures it is clear how much God prioritizes life and hates death. We are to take the same attitude. As much as ultra-Orthodox Jews will take the commandments very seriously, the law can be broken if a human life is at stake. It’s the most precious thing.
The cost for each life is incalculable. While terror groups place value on killing and death, rewarding it financially, God prioritizes life, and is willing to pay the ransom for our redemption Himself.
This week Tal and Jewish people around the world will be reading the story of the Exodus in the weekly Torah portion. In the last plague, on the night of the Passover, God was going to exact the price of one life from every household, but told His people to slaughter a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts. A life was taken in every household, but for those who had the faith to obey God’s commands, that life was that of an innocent lamb. The Passover lamb was a substitute, setting the pattern for God’s plan of redemption. As far as ransoms go, there can be none high enough to save a life. Only God can do that, and He did it by giving Himself over to evil men to be tortured and slaughtered. Our Heavenly Father paid the indeterminable cost of the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus, the Messiah. He took our place so we could go free. No cost was too high to save us. Why? Because He loves us so.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
(Song of Songs 8:7)
God loves the prisoners too
It’s an outrageous fact, but God knows and loves every terrorist, and every murderer. One of the tragedies of this war has been the gradual hardening of hearts and the increase of hatred in every direction. It’s understandable that many Israelis have become indifferent towards those who are still bent on Israel’s destruction, but it is deeply sad. God’s mercy, on the other hand, continues beyond what is naturally possible. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many, so that anyone — anyone — could be forgiven and gain eternal life if they believe in Him. What extraordinary love.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)
So let’s pray now, as Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
Pray for the prisoners who are being released to encounter Jesus and be saved
Pray for protection for Israelis against further terror attacks
Pray for love to increase, for hatred to decrease, and for healing from trauma
Pray for the hearts of believers and especially for believing soldiers to stay in tune with God and His heart for all people, both righteous and sinners.
Pray for justice — Jesus will put all things right ultimately when He returns, but pray for His justice and righteousness here and now, on earth as it is in heaven.
- https://youtu.be/BN8z-T-BLTc?si=Kt6VaJFIHaFp4Cuy
- https://palwatch.org/page/36854
- https://unwatch.org/item-7/claim/claim-13-israel-withholds-palestinian-funds-under-false-pretext
- https://allisrael.com/israeli-terror-victim-sickened-as-terrorists-will-be-released-with-millions-in-pay-for-slay-stipends
Picture: Government Press office
