How the World Must Respond to the Murder of Six Israeli Hostages
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| An image from a hostage video released by Hamas of Hersh Golberg-Polin, 23. |
Our hearts are shattered. The bodies of six Israeli and American hostages were found on Saturday — murdered by Hamas. These were our daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers — our hopes, our prayers. We held on to every shred of faith, every flicker of hope, believing they would come home alive. But instead, we face the horror of their loss.
This is not just a tragedy; it is a wound that cuts deep into the soul of every Jew, every person who still believes in humanity.
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and their supporters do not merely want to destroy Israel — they openly celebrate our death. They revel in our pain. We are exhausted by a world that turns away while our people are hunted, by the endless battles against a militant terrorism that wishes to eradicate Israel and kill every last Jew. Yet, when we run on fumes of exhaustion, it is the hope and togetherness of Jews and allies that fuels us further — it is taking action and putting in effort for the sake of our families, friends, communities, and people, and the understanding that we are in a massive war for our existence.
We are still here, Am Israel Chai, clinging to hope — even as the Islamist terrorists murder us and dance on our graves.
America and Israel must do more — more to save the innocent, more to uproot this evil, more to call out the supporters of terror who dare to justify our suffering. This is not just a fight for Israel; it is a fight for all who believe in the sanctity of life, in the right to live without fear.
Those who said “All eyes on Rafah” should be forced to look there now. Rafah is where our people were tortured, where they were brutally murdered, their bodies hidden in tunnels built for terror.
Rafah is where the world’s silence screamed loudest, and hate overshadowed humanity.
The IDF fights on the frontlines of this war for our survival, risking everything to protect our people, our home, and our right to exist. Each fallen soldier, each wounded soul — they are our heroes, bearing the weight of a fight no one should have to carry alone.
The hostages are heroes, who do all they can to live, amidst horrendous terror, torture, sexual violence, starvation, and brutalization in captivity. These hostages managed to live, until they were executed by Hamas — which knew the IDF was near.
We cannot stand by. We must fight back in every way we can. Share the truth. Counter the lies. Stand against the sea of hatred that threatens to drown us all. Misinformation and disinformation are spread wildly. It is up to each of us to share true facts, to represent our people, to own our own narrative, and to fight against the revisionist erasure of our people and our plight.
We must fight for our rights, for our people, and for the future we are determined to protect. We fight because we must. Giving up means losing everything we hold dear.
The battles on Israel’s border, the battles in public spaces in major cities across the world, on college campuses, on social media, at the United Nations, and the political systems that are meant to represent and protect Jews, too — the battles are everywhere — and we are all part of this war.
Together, with unity and resilience, we will stand strong against terror. We will fight for peace — until our last breath. Am Israel Chai.