A Well-Deserved Victory Lap For The Jews

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

The 20 surviving hostages were released “after 738 agonizing days in captivity,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

With all of our 20 living hostages back home, after 738 agonizing days in captivity... 20 surviving hos tages were released “after 738 agonizing days in captivity,” the Hostages and Missin Families Forum said in a statement.

a ceasefire that maintains the IDF's presence in over half of Gaza,

 and an American President firmly behind Israel and willing to let Israel continue to wipe Hamas out if necessary, 

we should take time to celebrate. That's right, we won!

As Jews, it's hard for us to say that because we've basically forgotten what is feels like to win, after a long history filled with persecution and slaughter.

 Perhaps it's time to change our mood. 

Yes, antisemitism is still as strong as ever,

 the pro-Palestine pro-violence demonstrations will likely continue, 

Hamas has still not returned all of the bodies of the dead hostages

 and hasn't disarmed, 

Palestinian terrorists will continue to attempt to kill Jews, 

and we mourn the loss of so many who gave their lives to bring us to this moment..

BUT, here we stand at the cusp of a new chapter of the Middle East that carries with it the hope for peace, gained from a position of strength. 

Our fiercest enemies -- Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, Syria -- are either destroyed or severely wounded and are no longer existential threats.

 President Trump has, somehow, gotten the Arab and Moslem world to admit that living peacefully with Israel can benefit them much more than trying to destroy her.

 Will they follow through? Who knows...

but I believe that Trump can pull it off! He's come this far, and done so without pressuring Israel. 

Just the opposite: he's given Israel the support to fight and defeat her enemies. 

So as difficult as it might feel, let's take a victory lap. We won. And boy does it feel good to be a winner.  

Now, as part of the first phase of the U.S.-brokered peace deal, Hamas has also agreed to return to Israel the remains of more than two dozen hostages who did not survive.

As of October 16, 2025, Hamas has returned the bodies of nine deceased hostages to Israel. The total number of dead hostages to be returned under the recent ceasefire agreement was 28. The remaining 19 bodies are still in Gaza. Hamas statement: The group's military wing stated on October 16 that it had handed over all the remains it could access, claiming that the other bodies are buried under rubble that requires specialized equipment to recover.

• Latest identification: On October 16, the remains of two more hostages, Inbar Hayman and Sgt. Maj. Muhammad al-Atresh, were identified by forensic experts in Israel. Hayman was abducted from the Nova festival, and al-Atresh was killed on October 7, 2023, while serving as a soldier.
  
• Sgt. Maj. Muhammad al-Atresh was a Bedouin tracker in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who was killed by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack. His body was taken captive into Gaza and was only returned to Israel on October 16, 2025. 
• Military role: He was a tracker in the Gaza Division's Northern Brigade, a position almost exclusively held by Bedouin Israelis. He enlisted in the IDF in 2003.
• Death and abduction: On the morning of October 7, 2023, Al-Atresh was killed in battle against Hamas terrorists in the area of Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His body was taken by the terrorists into the Gaza Strip.
• Declaration of death: Due to the circumstances of his disappearance, his death was not officially declared until June 24, 2024, after the IDF obtained new intelligence.
• Family: Originally from the Bedouin community of Sa'wa in southern Israel, he was 39 years old at the time of his death. He is survived by his parents, 22 siblings, two wives, and 13 children.                          
  
  Inbar Hayman was the last female taken.  The forensic investigation found that Hayman was murdered during the October 7, 2023, massacre, and her remains were taken into the Gaza Strip. She was 27 years old at the time and had attended the Nova Music Festival. She was pronounced murdered on December 15, 2023, leaving behind her parents and a brother.

Resource:

israelAM

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/israel-hamas-gaza-who-are-20-surviving-hostages-rcna237251