For us here in Israel, today is the best of times; today is the worst of times.

The decision to agree to the draconian terms of the those who invaded, murdered, raped, kidnapped and tortured our people on October 7, is fraught with humiliation, anger, and bitterness.

And yet, who can argue with the joy of the families who after 471 days lost inside a fog of uncertainty and fear are now able to embrace their loved ones?

Let’s remember the objectives of this war:

1. Eliminate Hamas leadership (military and political).
2. Destroy all the military capabilities of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and ensure they will never be able to threaten Israel again.
3. Release all the hostages.

It can be said that Israel has been concentrating on the first two objectives, and is now setting aside time to concentrate of the third.

We are watching today’s events on a split screen.

On one side, the parents and friends of Emily, Doron, and Romi are jumping up and down in joy as they watch the women handed over to the Red Cross. On the other, the rush of thousands of Gazans – against the written promise from the US contained within the Gaza ceasefire deal-returning to Northern Gaza without the required security checks by American or other international forces. This is going to cost us the blood of our sons and daughters when we have to reenter Gaza City, Beit Hanoun, and the surrounding towns to prevent them from again becoming Hamas rats’ nests. Four hundred IDF soldiers gave their lives to prevent this.

Our hearts also go out to the families of those whose loved ones were murdered by the terrorists now being set free from our jails, permitted to return to Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem, probably to murder again. What the final price will be in blood for the hostages, no one can predict. The last time we made such an exchange, for Gilad Shalit, Yaya Sinwar was one of those released.

And so begins the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which is to last 42 days and see the release of thousands of terrorists in exchange for 33 kidnapped, some of them in body bags.

We cannot say that the war in Gaza is anywhere near finished. Hamas is still on its feet, ready to receive the 600 trucks a day of aid which will be flooding the Strip as per the agreement. This sticks in our throats!

Some of the scenes we are witnessing are dystopian: Gazans trudging eagerly to bombed out buildings, using brooms to ridiculously sweep away the rubble, handing out candies to celebrate their “victory.”

 At least one Gazan woman was caught on camera giving the candy distributors hell about rejoicing among the dead still strewn unburied across the streets of Gaza. This hasn’t stopped Hamas operative from telling their young people:

“Muhammad’s army has begun to return.
Khaybar, Khaybar, you Jews (remember Khaybar, Jews),
Muhammad’s army has begun to return,
We are the people of Muhammad.”

This deal would never have come about if not for Trump’s special envoy, real estate mogul Steve Witkoff who threatened our Prime Minister to basically take it or leave it. And if the latter, than he would pack his bags and leave and we in Israel could go it alone. It is reported that in August 2023, the Qatar Investment Authority purchased the 610-room Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan from Witkoff for roughly $623 million, after Witkoff’s partner absconded. Has this compromised him as an objective partner? Time will tell.

I don’t know what I expected was going to happen when Trump replaced Biden. But not that.

There is a lot on social media about whether Israel won or lost the war in the Gaza Strip. It is too early to decide. What is critical to us is the understanding that we think we have with the new administration, that in the second phase, Hamas will be removed from power, and only then – with security measures firmly in place – can the war end.

Things seem more certain in the northern arena, where there is a consensus among Israelis – and the rest of the world – that Israel has clearly defeated Hezbollah. In Gaza, Hamas still controls the Gaza Strip, and continues to hold hostages. Significantly, there has been no Israeli tribunal to try and sentence those barbarians that initiated the horrific opening blow of the most extensive war in the history of the State of Israel.

Israelis can only truly rejoice in victory and give heartfelt thanks to its allies when Hamas loses the Gaza Strip, all our hostages are freed, and the vicious baby killers and rapists in our jails are fairly punished. This must include the death penalty. I promise you I for one will be standing with a sign to that effect outside the Knesset. We still have the equipment we used in carrying out Eichmann’s sentence. I suggest we dust it off.

If, at the end of day 42 Israel moves on to Phase B which means ending the fighting, without Hamas’ rule in the Gaza Strip having come to an end, then it will not be possible to say that Israel won the war and the existential threat to our existence will remain in place. Let us hope the opposite will come about.

But for now, let us thank God for the precious lives that have been saved and restored to us. Let us rejoice that we are still standing strong, in our homes, in untouched neighborhoods all over Israel. Let us rejoice that the communities in the South have begun to rebuild, and that the people of the North will soon be going home. Let us rejoice that we have survived the Nazis of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Biden Administration and Israel-haters all over the world; that the IDF stands strong and ready, our sons, daughters and grandchildren proud in their IDF uniforms, well-trained and more experienced than ever, their hearts loyal, their courage unflagging.

Let us give homage to all those who have fallen to bring us to this day, which is hopefully the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end for Iran and its proxies and Israel-haters worldwide.

“Blessed be You, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this day.”

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