On Monday, Hoshana Rabbah, after two years of brutal captivity, the remaining 20 Israeli hostages still in captivity after they were kidnapped by the Palestinian terror organization Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, finally came home.

Looking gaunt and visibly affected by their 737 days in the hands of barbaric terrorists in Gaza, the hostages were delivered to the Red Cross in Gaza before they were handed over to the Israel Defense Forces. Returned to Israel in two tranches, they were brought to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area to receive immediate medical care and be reunited with their families after two agonizing years since they were ripped from their grasp.

On Friday, Israel signed off on a deal with Hamas to secure the release of the 48 hostages that still remained trapped in Gaza, beginning the process that will bring home the 20 hostages still alive after more than 15 months in captivity. Hamas had 72 hours to release all living hostages, with the deadline set for Monday at noon. The bodies of at least 26 deceased hostages will also be returned, though Hamas has already begun claiming a substantial number cannot be located.

For the families and an entire country who have waited and fought for this day, the news brings overwhelming and conflicting emotions. In negotiating with Hamas, Israel is dealing with an organization committed to its destruction, and many Israelis worry about the message this sends and the dangerous precedent it sets.

The long-awaited homecoming comes at a steep price. Israel is releasing approximately 250 convicted Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences for terrorism and 1,700 detainees suspected of terror-related activities. Many of these prisoners were convicted of deadly terror attacks against Israelis, and there are deep concerns over what these unrepentant convicted terrorists do next. Senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was held in Israeli prisons for 22 years before he was one of 1,026 terrorists exchanged for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in October 2011; he went on to become the mastermind of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel.

Hamas has given no indication that it plans to disarm or abandon its goals of destroying Israel, and has expressed no remorse for the horrific murders, kidnappings and acts of barbarity of Oct. 7. Its leaders and many followers have repeatedly celebrated and publicly committed to repeating them. Previous agreements with Hamas have been broken, and prisoner releases have seen terrorists return to violence.

The current moment is focused on the hostage releases: 20 families experiencing long-awaited reunions. That is no small thing. Immediately afterward come questions about what Israel will do to prevent future assaults.

For now, on the prayer-filled day of Hoshana Rabbah, the Jewish people laugh, cry, pray, and place their trust in the One Above.