There has been remarkable heroism displayed by the hostages and their families.

When a news anchor from KAN made a call with the family of freed hostage, Romi Gonen, her father, Eitan, immediately started with a Jewish prayer with his wife Meital:

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu, v’kiy’manu, v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh!”

“Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season!”

This prayer is known as the “The Shehecheyanu blessing” and is said not only at the beginning of holidays and to celebrate special occasions, but also to offer thanks to God for new or unusual experiences. And this was a very unusual experience. Before speaking to the news or the nation, Eitan expressed his delight and joy upwards to God, first and foremost.

Danielle Gilboa’s family even renamed her Daniella, adding the letter which denotes attachment with God like when Abram became Abraham. Everyone has been hanging onto hope with God. At one point Hamas has declared her dead but her delighted family are now embracing her once again. This terrible season has been enough to drive even atheists to prayer.

Along with the goodness of God and answers to countless prayers, we have seen amazing strength and selflessness from the hostage families.

Liri Albag’s family told Israeli media, “At last, we were able to see Liri, hug her, and know that she is with us, in her safe place, surrounded by her family’s love. Liri showed incredible strength and survived hell, and we are so proud of her steadfastness in impossible conditions.” They added that as overjoyed as they were to have their daughter back, “Our hearts are with the families of Arbel Yehud, Agam Berger, the Bibas family, and all the other hostages who are still waiting to return home. Even in these moments of joy, our thoughts are with them, and we are determined to fight until the last hostage returns home.”¹

There has also been remarkable heroism and selflessness displayed by those who have survived over a year of Hamas captivity.

Emily offered to stay so Keith could go free

In one of the most extraordinary tales of heroism to come out of Gaza is that Emily Damari offered to stay in captivity for the sake of a fellow hostage. Israel’s N12 news channel reported that Emily requested that Keith Siegel, the husband of released hostage Aviva Seigel, should be released first in her place. When Emily was informed of her release she found out that Keith, who is 65-years-old and in a deteriorating condition, would have to wait.² Her request was denied but we all hope to see Keith soon.

Last week, Emily Damari held up her mutilated, bandaged hand in a gesture that would become an Israeli icon. This week, Liri Albag made a heart with her hands in the window of the helicopter as she was finally set free from after 477 days in captivity, showing love and hope after so many months of horror.

There has been great courage and heroism displayed by the women coming back from their own personal hell, and the stories are slowly coming out. The kindness, selflessness, and resilience of those kept in captivity will be told of long after this horrific war is over.

In the latest release, four of the seven field observers kidnapped on October 7 were forced up onto a stage in Gaza City with a banner declaring that Gaza was the “graveyard” of Zionism“ and that “The Palestinian fighters of freedom will always the victories [sic].” Another read, “Palestine: The Victory of oppressed people vs. the Nazi Zionism.” Yet another lauded the “Al-Aqsa Flood” massacre as a “revolution.”

The goal of the spectacle was to humiliate Israel while handing over the hostages, and by dressing them in fake military uniforms they wanted to present them as prisoners of war, rather than teenagers kidnapped in their pajamas. But we all saw the footage of their capture. The awful scenes of Naama Levy, zip-tied and bloodied in sweatpants, will haunt us forever.

However, the brave women walked to the stage calmly and confidently, and smiling and waving with dignity and strength.

“We showed them on the stage that we were not fazed” Kan News reported them saying. “It had no impact on us. We are stronger than them.”³

Some of the hostages learned Arabic while they were in captivity and even joked with the Israeli soldiers who came to get them that they didn’t understand and that they should speak to them in Arabic! They heard reports on the radio while they were in captivity, and saw some of the protests being held for them on TV. They were encouraged by the efforts made in Israel, fighting to get them home. One even heard her family wishing her happy birthday.

Some of them went for long periods without being able to shower and without sanitary conditions. And some of them were not allowed to hold hands or cry together.

The Jerusalem Post wrote, “Having Israeli Jewish women soldiers paraded in front of a Hamas crowd is not a scene that has ever been witnessed in Israeli history. Never before have women IDF soldiers been kidnapped and held hostage. Never before have so many Jews been kidnapped from a country that has promised “never again.””⁴

Praying for them all to come home

Naama Levy’s family said, “We are happy and excited to see Naama back on her feet and returning to us. Our hearts are with the Berger and Yehud families who are still waiting for their loved ones. We will not rest until the last hostage comes home.”

The whole of Israel is aching to see every single one of the hostages back home. There’s a movement to change the slogan from “Bring them home” to “Let them go!” changing the burden of responsibility to Hamas. The terrorist organization broke the conditions of the agreement yet again, by failing to include Arbel Yehud, a 29-year-old civilian from Kibbutz Nir Oz. There is also concern for Agam Berger, the last remaining field observer who has been left in captivity.

Agam Berger’s grandfather said on Kan News, “I hope she will be on the next list. I am very happy for the families of Liri, Danielle, Naama, and Karina, but I am disappointed with the way the negotiations have been handled—they are dictating terms to us, not the other way around, even though we won.”

Beside the train station in Jerusalem a huge mural reminds us all of the morning prayers from the Jewish prayer book. The prayer goes,

“[As for] our brethren, the entire House of Israel who [still] remain in distress and captivity, whether on sea or on land, may God have compassion on them…”

“…and bring them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, from servitude to redemption, at this moment, speedily, very soon; and let us say Amen.”