If it was only about the hostages, if it was always about the hostages, then the people of the Otef go back to being screwed over and the clock resets to October 6th and the countdown to the next round of Hamas atrocities and hostage taking. It can't be just about the hostages because then we would have learnt absolutely nothing and to get the freedom of the last 48 held by Hamas the nation would have accepted the return of a Hamas terrorist state in Gaza rebuilding and preparing the next assault on the Israel.

This is the niggling fear I feel today alongside the joy of seeing our live hostages return to their families. Too many Israelis say, fine, that's it, peace, it's all over and the people living on our border, the people in the Otef who've suffered so much will be forgotten again, left to their fate, as though on October 7th Hamas wasn't halfway to Beer Sheva and their death squads weren't this close to rampaging through Ashkelon. I've met too many people in the Otef who've said as much to me, it was always about the hostages and never about truly restoring safety and security to their communities.

The hostages were a clever diversionary tactic by Hamas to stop us from being able to fight effectively in areas where the hostages were held, giving Hamas extra cover and distracting Israelis from the war aims of defending the thousands and thousands of Israelis, millions really, held hostage by Hamas' rockets and terror.

Hamas is already jubilant, murdering anyone they suspect of helping Israel, restoring their iron fist terror on the people of Gaza and with Qatari money and Turkish construction companies help, officially sanctioned by this deal, they pledge to rebuild their tunnels and bases and terror machine. It's like on the day Gilad Shalit was released, Israelis were euphoric with hope and relief but the other side was celebrating with gunfire the return of unrepentant terrorists, like Sinwar, already planning how to use their new freedom to kill more Israelis.

I know today is supposed to be all about joy, people are very angry at me for saying these things but I spend so much time in the Otef that I can't not see this bigger picture and all the red flags. The fear is that like Ahashverosh in the Purim story people will say well that's that then, all over, war aim accomplished, nothing to see here. And the people of the Otef will be screwed over again and Hamas, already striving to reassert its iron hold on Gaza, will be left to rebuilt and rearm (Qatari money, Turkish construction companies) counting down to the next Oct 7, the next round of hostage taking, the next invasion of Israel.

As though two years ago the Nuhba death squads weren't halfway to Beer Sheva and this close to rampaging through Ashkelon. The fact that Israel capitulated in the end to negotiating with Hamas, to freeing murderers, to giving hostile, Muslim Brotherhood affiliated states like Qatar and Turkey key roles in supposedly creating a future peaceful settlement in the region is very concerning and in Hamas quarters is seen as victory.

And yes, I'm beyond grateful to Hashem that the live hostages have been released, but I'm also beyond concerned that people are so glad they will forget the dead hostages still being held and worse, forget that Hamas and friends still want to finish the job they started on Oct 7 2023.

So yes, we can celebrate today but it has to be with the understanding that this isn't the end of the story and even if this deal creates some kind of ceasefire for now, Israel can't relax its guard, must remain vigilant against the multiple threats still looming, or else we are back to the Oct 6 mentality.