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Israeli Hostages Turn Humiliation into Victory

Hamas evidently learned from their mistakes on Jan. 19 when the first Israeli hostages were released with the ceasefire deal — three women between the ages of 24 and 31 — were paraded through the streets of Gaza before a throng of Palestinian men eager to harass, grab, spit on, or taunt the women before being handed over to the Red Cross.

This past weekend, on Saturday, Jan. 25, the release of new hostages afforded a completely different spectacle. Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Karina Ariev — between the ages of 19 and 20 — were escorted onto a stage constructed in the center of Gaza City and positioned behind an old executive table curated with Palestinian flags. Hamas photographers gathered at the foot of the stage while the large crowd sprawled out behind them as if at an outdoor music concert.

The four hostages — IDF soldiers abducted during the Hamas raid on the military base at Kibbutz Nahal Oz on Oct. 7, 2023 — were outfitted in fresh olive drab (although not that of the IDF) enhancing the public exhibit of soldiers captured in battle. They wore badges around their neck, resembling backstage passes, and each held “gift bags” from Hamas’s Qassim Brigades containing their “release certificate” and photographs of their time in captivity.

The young women were flanked on either side of the stage by Qassim Brigade militants dressed in all black, face and head covered, and donning the characteristic green bandana with white Arabic lettering of the Shahada. Background banners framed the stage projecting anti-Israel slogans in Arabic and English: “Palestinian Fighters of Freedom will Always be the Victors,” “Al Aqsa Flood — A Revolution Against Zionist Injustice and Criminality,” “Palestine: The Victory of the Oppressed People vs the Nazi Zionism,” and “Gaza is the Graveyard of the Criminal Zionists.”

The entire display was intended to reverse public opinion after the chaos of last weekend and show the world that Hamas, as the elected body of governance and security over Gaza, is capable of pomp and diplomacy. It was also aimed at humiliating Israel.

Instead of Humiliation, Poise and Dignity

But as photographs and live streams of the event surfaced, the focus quickly shifted to the apparent health, energy, and overt displays of poise and confidence in the Israeli hostages. The young women stood relaxed on stage offering the crowd big smiles, thumbs-ups, and gracious waves. According to one commentator at the local Israeli Channel 12 news, the confidence and poise of the hostages turned “humiliation into victory.”

Hamas’s spectacle and intimidation “had no impact on us,” the freed hostages told Israeli Kan TV. The women had agreed beforehand to act jovial and assured when put on public display in defiance of Hamas’s actions. “We are stronger than them [Hamas]. We showed them on the stage that we were not fazed.”

With the rehabilitation of the freed hostages underway, conversations with friends, family, and Israeli authorities are slipping into the news, and details of their captivity have come to light. As Israeli N12 news conveyed, the women were often shuffled between different cities and stayed with various Gazan families where they were forced to cook and clean the toilets. They went without food for long periods and recalled receiving scant provisions such as bread, rice, and seawater. Days before their release, they were fed “nutritional food” and given “stimulants” in preparation for their public appearance on stage.

They were also denied medical treatment for injuries incurred during their abduction and in captivity and went long periods in horribly unsanitary conditions without being allowed to shower. When not hosted by a family they were kept in tunnels and cages, and one hostage recalled being kept in a dark tunnel for a long time where it was hard to breathe.

Levy, a triathlete, tried to keep mentally and spiritually focused with spurts of exercise. The four women also tried to learn Arabic, and Kan TV reported that they jokingly told the IDF crew of their helicopter departing Gaza to speak Arabic because they no longer understood Hebrew.

As Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl conveyed through the incredible insights in his 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning, the prospect of hope and the search for purpose is often what keeps people alive in hellish conditions. Frankl’s point was humorously brought to life in the 1997 Italian film Life is Beautiful.

In this award-winning film, the Jewish protagonist Guido convinces his son that their internment in a Nazi concentration camp is a game, and if they win they will receive a great prize. Guido dies in captivity but when American troops liberate the camp his son is convinced that the approaching Sherman tank is being delivered as his winning prize.

For Albag, Gilboa, Levy, and Ariev, the flame of hope in Hamas captivity was kept alive and shimmering by the prospect of returning home. They recalled catching glimpses on the TV or hearing on the radios of their host families about the protests in Israel demanding their release and how their families tirelessly advocated on their behalf.

One hostage remembered hearing birthday wishes her mother sent out over the radio in hopes they would find her daughter’s desperate ears.

As the IDF pushed deeper into Gaza, the combat at times came all too close. It “was scary,” the hostages recalled, as they relied on each other for solace in those moments of uncertainty and ultimately reassured one another that hope lay behind the clamor of gunfire.

Like Guido’s son, who jumped on the Sherman tank with bright eyes and a wide smile at the end of Life is Beautiful, Albag, Gilboa, Levy, and Ariev took to the stage in Gaza City full of pride and confidence knowing they had defeated Hamas at their own game.

The post Israeli Hostages Turn Humiliation into Victory appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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