Hostage deal forces Nahal Oz survivors into wrenching compromise with reviled Hamas

Minutes before Hamas terrorists freed 14 Israeli hostages Sunday, Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon was confidently discussing geopolitics with colleagues on Kibbutz Mishmar Ha’Emek when something stopped him and pushed him out of his comfort zone.

Gripping his head and sighing deeply, Tibon said: “I’ve been waiting for this picture for 51 days.”

The picture was of members of Tibon’s own kibbutz, Nahal Oz, being released after nearly two months of Hamas captivity. Tibon, who had survived the Hamas onslaught of October 7 in his home there, was uncharacteristically seized with emotion.

That jarring shift underlined the duality that many Israelis are feeling about the hostage deal with Hamas, a reviled enemy most Israeli Jews wish to see destroyed.

However, the 200 or so hostages being held by the group have forced many to grapple with accepting difficult wartime compromises. READ MORE