Thirty Israeli children who have been held captive in Gaza since the October 7 massacre are among the fifty hostages expected to be released as part of a temporary ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Some of these children are now orphans because their parents were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists during the massacre, leaving the Israeli soldiers rescuing the children in the position of having to answer some difficult questions.

IDF soldiers taking part in the rescue mission have been instructed to be extra careful when dealing with the young hostages. If the youngsters ask about their parents, the soldiers are advised to answer, "Sorry sweetie, I don’t know. My job is to bring you to a safe place. There are people there whom you know, who will answer your questions." The soldiers are likely to know the fates of the parents, so it will undoubtedly be heartbreaking for them to deal with these questions.

There are additional instructions for the soldiers when dealing with the child hostages, including reuniting them quickly with their pets, if they have any, and not touching the kids unless they ask for a hug or to be carried. The goal is to reassure the children that they are safe. 

List of potential hostages to be released. Provided by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office:

-Kfir Bibs - ten months old, his brother Ariel, 4, and mother Shiri Bibs. Father Jordan was kidnapped with them, and will remain captive.

-Emily Hand, 9.

-Yuval Engel, 11, (her sister…

— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) November 22, 2023

One of the children expected to be released is Emily Hand, the Irish-Israeli child whose father wept with relief after erroneously being told she was killed on October 7; he felt death was "a blessing" compared to what his daughter would face being held captive by Hamas terrorists. His worst fears were realized when he learned she was indeed being held hostage in Gaza.

The father, Thomas Hand, has been one of the more vocal of the hostage family members, visiting the United States to shore up support for the release of the hostages from lawmakers and making the rounds on American news shows to keep their plight in the headlines. Well, headlines were made alright when the very smug Gayle King, looking exhausted from carrying all that water for Hamas, presumed to lecture Hand:

King: "But now, this seems to be all about politics. What do you say about that? You know, you have innocent children, Palestinians who are dying, innocent Israeli children who are dying, and no one seems to be able to say enough, stop that." 

Hand: "I’m not interested in politics at all. My only concern is getting Emily back, whatever that takes to get her back."

Let's hope this poor man gets his daughter back safely and soon. 

One other thing to note about the list of hostages expected to be released: There are no men on that list, and many speculate that is deliberate. By leaving husbands and fathers in captivity, the women and children who are freed may not want to speak of the atrocities they endured in order to keep the men safe. In essence, they will still be hostages of Hamas.