The erasable line

Headline on Times of Israel: 2 Israeli-Russian women handed to Red Cross; 10 more Israeli hostages awaited

I took a break this week.

I followed my own advice and watched some comedy shows. All I did was watch comedy shows and the news. And fold laundry. And completely forget about my krav maga class on Tuesday nights.

I watched Gabriel Iglasias (a.k.a. Fluffy), Matt Rife, and Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart is funny, Matt is clever (but not funny), and Gabriel made me laugh so hard that I starting ugly-girl bawling. Let me tell you: it’s a very fine, erasable line between happy and sad.

I took a nap this morning and woke up absolutely wiped out. I realized last night that the news about what Hamas is doing/has done to hostages (young hostages) got to me. I’ve spoken to many people during the war and one of the things I’ve learned is that the exhaustion is real.

This has been the single most difficult two months of our lives. And if we have a direct relation to someone murdered or kidnapped, even more so. We are going through hell.

The hostages, released and still abducted, have their own special level of hell designed and constructed by Hamas. The fact remains that the hostages don’t know if and when they will be released, when others are being released, what happens to those being taken away – they only know when they’re being taken away. This, after being beaten (by Hamas AND innocent Gazans), malnourished, deprived of medication, sunlight, showers, clean clothing, a bathroom, news of loved ones. Shown videos of atrocities committed by their captors, traded to different terror organizations,  and hushed into silence by threat of rifles so much so that some freed children still cannot speak at a normal volume.

Israelis hold photographs of the Bibas family at a press conference calling for the release of 10 month old Kfir, 4 year old Ariel, and their parents Shiri and Yarden at “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv, November 28, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90 – republished by ToI)

And now possible devastating news about the Bibas family (currently being investigated).

It’s a tough week, this one.
I imagine it’s only going to get worse.