TW: Mentions of violence and war

“From the River to the Sea…” 

It is the poster phrase for the Palestinian political movement, calling for the complete removal of the Israeli and Jewish population in the Middle East. 

A flurry of political statements and jargon has been launched at this development, both in support and opposition of the campaign. Social Media has dominated the topic, taking both sides of the argument surrounding the Israel-Hamas War. 

However, as the calendar draws near the first annual remembrance of the October Seventh Massacre, many have acknowledged the diminished recognition of the hostages. 

Last year, early in October, Hamas, the militant organization that organized the attack, kidnapped around 250 Israelis and foreigners alike. 97 are believed to still be held in captivity and a third of the original hostages are believed to be dead. 

Bodies have been identified all around the crumbling city of Gaza, where countless Palestinian families remain in poverty and crippling living conditions. 

Unfortunately, researchers, politicians, and reporters have refused to update the masses on the remaining hostage situation.

Names become headlines, dead and dying. 

Hostages have been forgotten by the world, but not by their families. 

On August 31, six bodies of the hostages were found in tunnels of Gaza, a secret network of roads beneath the city that allows Hamas officers to secretly move about the city. 

Many suspect the hostages were also forced to live in the tunnels, but no sound evidence has been found to prove these speculations. 

Among the six bodies found, at least three were “poster-children” of the “Bring Them Home Now” movement. 

While the Palestinians and their followers have a phrase to call for the destruction of Israel, the hostages’ families and other supporters have a phrase that promotes peace: a calling for the hostages’ safe return and rescue. 

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was a notable figure of the movement; a hostage who died for his religion and beliefs. An innocent whose life was taken because of a simple confusion between holy texts. 

His body was found among the five other victims. His parents, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, have made for themselves a notable presence on social media, as they begged for his safe return. 

They currently live in Israel, and they have American-Israeli heritage. 

Ori Danino and Eden Yerushalmi were also known-faces in the Jewish and Israeli community and their images were used as political propaganda by Israel. 

The six hostages were found dead in tunnels, an unfortunate consequence of war. An absurd circumstance of hatred for humanity. 

However, their autopsy reports aroused more shock than the announcement of their deaths. 

Each hostage was said to be killed 48 to 72 hours prior to being found in the tunnels. 

Hostages, whose names are known. Whose histories have been memorized by the entire world. And yet, their families do not know whether they are alive or dead. 

Hostages, prisoners of war, who had a chance of survival. Hostages who were killed days prior to a potential rescue. 

Hope, it’s a dangerous thing. Hope was given to the Israeli and Jewish communities through these “poster-children”. And hope was stolen, shattered, ripped away when those six faces appeared for the last time. 

I sympathize with the innocent civilians of Gaza. I do not agree with how Benjamin Netanyahu is handling the current war in the Middle East. Bombs drop, innocents are killed, and hatred spreads. 

However, humanity is erased, line by line, sketch by sketch, when another hostage turns up dead. When another family is forced to understand the government’s agenda: sacrifice for the greater good of a country. 

Before murdering the six hostages, Hamas also recorded their final words, which were later posted online. Another sliver of kindness, slipping down the drain. 

“Bring Them Home Now” is a movement, it is a political campaign. It could even be recognized as a revolution against the Israeli government. 

However, “Bring Them Home Now” is also a reminder, a call, a cry for the necessary return of all hostages. 

Bodies and all, we must put aside our differences and throw down our weapons to bring home innocent victims of a pitiful political production.