The 447 Day of the War: No Future to Israel without the Hostages

Last year, a few days before Christmas I returned from a week abroad, visiting my family, and resumed my responsibilities as a volunteer at a vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv. The small restaurant had been transformed into a kitchen dedicated to sending more than thousand vegan meals to soldiers stationed at the frontlines across the country. By February 2024, I left the restaurant, most of the vegan reservists to whom we sent meals had been released, and my services were no longer needed. At that time, the war in Gaza was practically over, and it was months before the beginning of the war with Hezbollah in the north. 

No one — perhaps except Netanyahu — could have imagined that, a year later, at the end of 2024, the war with Hamas would still be ongoing; a hundred hostages would still be in Gaza, and Israeli soldiers would continue to lose their lives there almost daily.

Looking for another way to contribute after leaving the restaurant, I began volunteering in the dining room at the Headquarters of the Hostage Families. Yet, as of today, nothing has changed for the hostages. On the contrary, more and more of them are dying in captivity. It feels as though the entire world has given up on them. I understand that there are other places around the globe, where innocent citizens are kidnapped from their homes tortured, and murdered. But here in Israel, we will do everything to bring the hostages back, as we know that there is no future for our country if our hostages are not brought home.

I used to believe it was impossible for a democratic government to act against the welfare of its citizens — that it had a responsibility to be attuned to their wishes. But in Israel, this is clearly not the case. In our version of democracy, where there is no longer a separation of powers and the Knesset (legislature) is subordinated to the government (executive authority), we are left with the weakened protection of the judiciary, which has been under attack for years.

Sadly, even our last hope—the president—has proven to be less impartial than we had expected, potentially susceptible to pressure from the same government. God, please have mercy on the State of Israel. We are in serious trouble. There are so many wonderful, capable, and moral people here, yet there is so little that ordinary citizens can do to change the situation.