Reflecting on the heavy price of freedom
The living hostages are home, and we rejoice with their families. Their freedom fills us with joy and gratitude — but that freedom came at a heavy price.
Israel paid dearly. Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were released as part of the deal — including 250 convicted terrorists serving life sentences. Among them, as reported by ALL ISRAEL NEWS, were:
Muhammad Zakarneh, a Fatah terrorist who planned the 2009 attack that murdered Grigory Raginovich, and Muhammad Abu al-Rub, who stabbed and killed Reuven Shmerling in 2017.
Reports now indicate that some of these released prisoners are living comfortably in Egypt, with 154 staying at the five-star Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel.
Remember the Victims
So as we celebrate the return of the hostages, spare a thought for the innocent victims of terror — for the families who have suffered at the hands of those now set free.
Think of the moment they saw the breaking news of a terror attack… and the horror of realizing that someone they loved was there — and had been killed.
The pain. The heartache. The long and harrowing journey through courtrooms, testifying and reliving those moments of terror.
Finally, they saw justice done. The terrorists were convicted. Sentenced. There was closure.
But now, in one political deal, that justice has been undone. Those with blood on their hands have walked free. The victims are left to wonder: Where is the justice we were promised?
“When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”
— Proverbs 21:15
The Meaning of Justice
Justice is a cornerstone of any nation. It reassures citizens that the law protects the innocent and punishes the guilty — that evil will not prevail. When justice is served, it deters others from following the same dark path.
But when convicted terrorists are released early, what message does that send?
Will it embolden others to kidnap, knowing it can lead to freedom for thousands more?
A Sobering Reminder
So amid the joy and relief over the hostages’ return, spare a thought for those paying a deeper price — the families who lost loved ones, and who now face the bitter truth that justice has been denied.
Their pain is part of the cost of this deal. And while the hostages are home, justice remains imprisoned.
Paul is a Christian journalist based in the Middle East.
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