by Ram ben Ze'ev
The news this week that four bodies have been returned from Gaza—a grim testament to the ongoing nightmare—has only deepened the frustration and anger that so many of us feel.
The tragic identification of three of the deceased as the two sons of Shira Bibas, Ariel and Kfir, alongside Oded Lifshitz, is yet another blow to a nation that has been mourning since the horrors of 7 October 2023. But adding insult to this unbearable injury is the revelation that the Arab terrorists did not, in fact, return the body of Shira Bibas as they had claimed.
If it is not her, then who is it? The fourth body—originally said to be hers—remains unidentified. Is it an unknown Arab woman, cynically offered as part of the terrorists’ sick deception? Or could it just as easily be an Israeli hostage whose captivity and fate were never even acknowledged? This gruesome uncertainty underscores the depravity of those who still hold our people hostage and the ongoing failure of the Israeli government to bring them home.
An Unacceptable Reality
The fact that hostages still remain in the hands of these monsters is an unmitigated failure—a stain on the leadership that has failed to prioritize the absolute, non-negotiable duty of a government: to protect its citizens and ensure their safe return. Instead, we have endured endless negotiations with terrorists who lie as easily as they breathe. We have watched the families of hostages beg for action, while Israel’s military and political echelons remain bogged down in hesitancy and strategic caution.
The repatriation of lifeless bodies instead of living hostages is not a victory. It is an indictment of a government that has failed to exact the kind of pressure and force that should have made these terrorists regret ever laying a hand on a single Israeli.
Instead, we are subjected to the same tired diplomatic song and dance. World leaders, who had nothing to say when Israelis were being slaughtered, now wring their hands about “proportionality” while they shield the murderers from the full consequences of their barbarism. And Israel’s leadership, instead of standing firm against this hypocrisy, continues to play by the enemy’s rules—allowing ceasefires, humanitarian aid, and prisoner exchanges that embolden the terrorists rather than destroy them.
The Unanswered Question: Who Was Really Taken?
The return of this unidentified female body raises troubling questions. How do we know, with absolute certainty, that every single Israeli hostage has been accounted for? The chaos of 7 October 2023 was unprecedented. Entire families were wiped out, some burned alive, some shot and mutilated beyond recognition. Others were dragged away into captivity, their fate left unknown. While the official lists of the missing and kidnapped were eventually compiled, there were gaps—moments of uncertainty where families didn't know whether their loved ones had been taken or killed.
It is entirely possible that this unidentified body belongs to an Israeli hostage who was never reported as kidnapped. Some individuals may have been taken but never officially recognized—especially foreign workers, temporary residents, or those whose families were unable to confirm their disappearance. The Arab terrorists have also never admitted to holding all of their captives, and there is no guarantee they ever will. We have already seen their repeated attempts to manipulate reality—falsely claiming to return Shira Bibas' body, for example—so why should we believe that the remaining 73 hostages represent the full count of those abducted?
Israelis must demand the truth. How many more have been left behind? How many more are missing, uncounted, or buried in unmarked graves deep inside Gaza? This is not simply about the 73 acknowledged hostages—it is about every single Israeli, every soul who was stolen that day. The government cannot afford to let these questions remain unanswered.
Adding to the grotesque cruelty of the terrorists, the coffins of Oded Lifshitz and the one falsely claimed to be Shira Bibas were marked with the words “Date of Arrest: October 7, 2023”—a sickening attempt to distort reality by equating the abduction of innocent civilians with lawful detention. These markings were a deliberate propaganda tool, meant to rewrite the narrative and deflect blame for the hostages' suffering. But the deception runs deeper—the coffin labeled as Shira Bibas did not, in fact, contain her body, further proving that these terrorists continue to use the dead and the missing as pawns in their psychological warfare against Israel and the families of the hostages.
The Difference Between Leadership and Failure
When you compare the results of the July 4, 1976, Entebbe raid in Uganda—more than 3,800 kilometers from Israel—when Yonatan Netanyahu led an elite team of soldiers to rescue 103 Jewish hostages in a mission that lasted just seven days—to the current situation in Gaza, only a short drive away, it’s painfully obvious that the 73 remaining hostages, held captive for more than 500 days, were left with the wrong Netanyahu.
Then, Israel acted with boldness, decisiveness, and the kind of ruthless efficiency that sent a message to the world: Jews will never be left behind. Today, that message has been tarnished. Instead of launching a daring rescue operation that would be remembered for generations, Israel's leadership has allowed itself to be strangled by hesitation, bad advice, and international pressure from those who never had our best interests at heart.
What happened? When did Israel lose its resolve? If a mission thousands of kilometers away on foreign soil could be executed successfully in a matter of days, how can we possibly justify the continued suffering of these hostages left to rot within driving distance of our own borders? The simple answer is this: they were abandoned—not just by their captors, but by the very government that swore to protect them.
The Clock Ran Out Long Ago
For the hostages still trapped in Gaza, every single day is another day of torment. Every moment that passes without action is another moment where they are subjected to the cruelty of their captors. We do not even know how many of the 73 are still alive—but we know who is responsible for their suffering. And we know who has allowed this nightmare to stretch beyond 500 days.
The families of the hostages do not need more empty statements or false hopes. They need results. They need the return of their loved ones—alive. And they need a government that will not rest until that goal is achieved.
Israel is not a weak country. It is not a country that should accept this disgraceful status quo. The government must act decisively, without regard for the cowardly international community that would rather see Jews in graves than defending themselves.
Enough delays. Enough negotiations. Enough failures. Bring them home now.
###
Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews Limited, Mayside Partners Limited, MEADHANAN Agency, Kestrel Assets Limited, SpudsToGo Limited and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue. Bill White also writes on Substack under the byline "Bill White Says..."