735 days… the number of days the 20 remaining hostages have wrongfully spent in Gaza after being taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023.  They were finally freed on October 13, 2025, as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by the US.

735 agonizing days of horror that these innocent Israelis were forced  to endure while their families felt every moment of their absence in their hearts.  

While October 13, 2025, marked a major milestone of bringing home our brothers and sisters, it wasn’t a joyous day for all families of hostages, as at least 85 hostages were killed at the hands of Hamas or died in captivity.  A senseless act of hate that shook the Middle East and the entire world, killing just shy of 2,000 Israelis and 69,000 Palestinians.

Where do we go from here?  

The second part of the ceasefire agreement involves Hamas dropping its reign in Gaza, ending the war between the Israelis and Palestinians, and surrounding Arab countries being asked to rebuild Gaza so people can live freely.  Peace in this region is the overall goal, peace that the region hasn’t seen in over 75 years.