While the entire nation rejoices over the return of our hostages, the price we have paid in the release of hundreds of murdering terrorists is one that is very likely going to haunt us down the line. Just as the release of Gilad Shalit led to the October 7 mass kidnappings, so the release of October 7 hostages once again teaches our enemies how we can be manipulated.

Israel Today: “David Zini, head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency, warned at this week’s Cabinet meeting that the repeated hostage deals in which Israel freed large numbers of jailed Palestinian terrorists in return for Israeli captives, combined with international recognition of a ‘Palestinian’ state in the wake of Oct. 7, had increased the threat of future terrorist abductions. ‘The threat of kidnappings has not decreased, it has increased and will continue to increase, because there is a price for the way we paid for the release of the hostages.’ ”

M.K. Ben Gvir has been walking around with a pin in the shape of a noose to promote his legislation of the death penalty for terrorists. I also ordered one. This is the only way. Keeping them locked up is a red flag to terrorists to kidnap and torture more Israelis. Others say they want a law in which terrorists can receive a life sentence which will be impossible to overturn. I think such a law will be worthless. The hysteria of public protests in Israel will be able to overturn any such sentence. Only the death penalty can’t be argued with. Let us hope our little country has learned something over the past few decades about dealing with jihadis.

As we light the final Chanukah candle on the longest, darkest night of the year, we hope and pray for God to give us light in the months to come.

From somewhere in Southern Gaza, an IDF commander said this as he lit the Menorah there: “From here in Gaza, I am sending a message to every Jew in the world, we are a strong people, no one will defeat us, they tried to murder us in Australia and also here in Gaza. I call on everyone to come to Israel, there is room for everyone. Come home.”

Amen.

We are not finished with Iran. Not by a long shot. The Iranians, whose economy has tanked, and whose faucets have no water coming out of them, are still investing billions they don’t have in building up a new arsenal of deadly ballistic missiles to the reported tune of 3,000 missiles a month. In Teheran’s “Palestine Square” posters threatening the conquest of the Israeli coastal city of Nahariyah are being flaunted. Netanyahu flies to America to discuss all this with President Trump. I can’t even imagine sitting once again in my shelter waiting for missiles from Iran to land. It’s just unthinkable. We can’t wait for them to start firing. There must be a preemptive strike.

Often, when I lived in Ramot near the Arab village of Beit Iksa, our entire street would be filled with the horrible, suffocating odor for burning refuse from the village. Now Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich has declared this practice a national security issue and announced a multi‑agency response towards these practices in Judea and Samaria — confiscation of waste trucks, emergency cleanup plans, and deductions from Palestinian Authority tax revenues if they fail to act. Israel is (finally) taking responsibility for health, environment, and security in the area.

Gazans, with their usual brilliance, are producing numerous AI “moaning” videos. If only they didn’t insist their people have more than two hands it might be credible. Watch it here:

And then there are the two million people who viewed the AI video of Gazans in heavy snow… OMG! Watch this miracle here.

I’d like to talk about something personal. On Friday, Yossi Green, the father of my daughter-in-law Anat, went out to pick up a package and never came back. A sudden, massive heart attack struck without warning. Yossi was a remarkable man. An amputee who lost his arm as a sapper dismantling bombs in the IDF, he was never without a smile. A tour guide and avid world traveler, hiker, explorer, he never let his handicap slow him down for a moment. As a father, he would often take his daughters out of school for unplanned hikes. While he was in his seventies, he was still traveling every few months, off on another adventure.

These past two years were hard on Yossi. Besides the anxiety of having a son, sons-in-law, and grandsons all on the front, Yossi was busy traveling all over the country trying to help their pregnant wives and small children cope with their absences. In addition, he was tirelessly making the rounds of hospitals to speak to new amputees, raising their spirits and encouraging them that their futures would be bright. He had such a big heart, and accommodated so many burdens. You won’t read about Yossi on the front page of the newspapers, but he was a hero none the less. His big smile and can-do spirit will be terribly missed, and he will be deeply mourned by all who had the privilege to know and love him.

Rest in peace, dearest Yossi.

---