The Hostage I Knew
Briefly

The return of Oded Lifshitz's body, after 503 days of abduction, opens a wound of grief and anger for many Israelis. Alongside him, the bodies of the Bibas children illustrate the extreme brutality of the ongoing conflict, which sees even the youngest victims as pawns in a larger struggle. Lifshitz’s family and others are left to grapple with the harsh realities of violence that transcends age and innocence, questioning the inhumanity of viewing individuals as part of a collective enemy in a relentless cycle of pain.
Oded's coffin entered Israel with three others, including the remains of the Bibas children, illustrating the continuing heartache and fury felt across the nation.
The kidnappings presuppose a collective enemy without individual faces or humanity, illustrating a disturbing perspective within the broader conflict.
Read at The Atlantic
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