In a gut-wrenching moment caught on camera, a young Israeli hostage called his mother from captivity and whispered, “It’s OK, Mom. Don’t worry,” before being led home. The Wall Street Journal’s Anat Peled was with the Kupershtein family as they waited, recording the raw relief of parents who have carried this private national wound for more than two years.
On October 13, 2025, Hamas handed over 20 living Israeli hostages, ending 738 days of agony for families and a nation that refused to forget its own. The releases followed carefully managed video calls earlier that day and culminated in emotional reunions at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, scenes that showed both the fragility and the stubborn resilience of ordinary people.
Among those brought back was Bar Kupershtein, a young man who stayed at the Nova music festival to help the wounded while chaos reigned, and whose family staged public rallies marking birthdays and praying for any sign of life. For parents who watched every report and slept with the ache of uncertainty, that FaceTime moment and the eventual hug were nothing short of a miracle — the kind of human story that puts flesh on the statistics and demands our compassion.
Make no mistake: Hamas used those held captive as bargaining chips and a propaganda tool, allowing curated calls and footage when it suited their narrative. There is nothing noble about an enemy that kidnaps civilians, tortures them, and tries to monetize their suffering; this episode should harden, not soften, Western resolve against terror.
Credit where credit is due: determined diplomacy and international pressure — including mediation credited to U.S. leadership — helped bring these living Americans and Israelis home after unthinkable delay. Conservatives who believe in strong alliances and uncompromising support for friends abroad should celebrate that decisive action, even as we demand accountability for what allowed this nightmare to happen in the first place.
That hard truth also means facing difficult choices without capitulation. Negotiating for the living does not mean surrendering principle; it means prioritizing life while simultaneously pursuing policies to dismantle terror infrastructure, strengthen intelligence, and ensure deterrence is credible and relentless.
For the families of Bar Kupershtein and the others, reunions will bring joy and new burdens of recovery and memory. Americans who cherish liberty and justice should stand with them, press for vigorous action against those who celebrate murder, and make sure the sacrifices of the fallen and the suffering of the kidnapped lead to a safer, firmer world.
