For the first time since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, Israelis are approaching the Sukkot festival with the knowledge that no hostages—living or deceased—remain in Gaza.
A year earlier, the scene was starkly different. At the start of Sukkot 2025, twenty hostages were still held by Hamas; photographs of them adorned sukkah walls, and empty chairs stood as a poignant reminder of those unable to share the holiday with their families.
Then, on Hoshana Raba, October 13, 2025, all twenty hostages were released and returned to Israel.
However, the ordeal was not yet complete, as the remains of several murdered hostages were still located in Gaza.
That final chapter closed eight months ago, in January 2026, with the recovery and return of Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili’s remains. The 24‑year‑old police officer had been killed on Oct. 7 while battling terrorists; his was the last hostage—living or deceased—still in Gaza, ending 843 days of mourning symbolized by the stopped clock in Hostages Square.
This Sukkot therefore offers an additional reason to give thanks, as the festival is traditionally called zman simchateinu, “the season of our rejoicing.”
Nevertheless, the agreement that secured the hostages’ release and halted the large‑scale conflict left Hamas in control of Gaza.
The group had pledged to disarm, but as expected, it has failed to comply.
Earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee summed it up bluntly: Hamas had surrendered zero firearms and zero ammunition.
In recent months, senior IDF officers have warned that Hamas is recruiting new fighters, many of them men aged 18 to 22, manufacturing large quantities of explosive devices and anti‑tank weapons, and resuming training for its elite Nukhba unit.
Rejoicing is not a declaration that all is well
The sukkah itself embodies this nuanced perspective.
As the Talmudic sage Rava teaches (Sukkah 2a), Sukkot mandates that we replace our permanent homes with temporary shelters. It is precisely while residing in the sukkah that the Torah commands, “You shall rejoice on your festival” (Deuteronomy 16:14).
Celebration does not imply that everything is settled; it also does not serve as a judgment of the hostage agreement’s prudence or Israel’s security posture. Rather, it acknowledges that a long‑prayed‑for deliverance has occurred and merits recognition, even as significant challenges persist.
For Israelis, this distinction is especially resonant in the aftermath of Oct. 7. Israel possessed extensive perimeter defenses—fences, cameras, sensors, and advanced intelligence capabilities—yet none avert ed the carnage.
Israel must reinforce its defensive measures, enhance intelligence capabilities, and stay ready to act decisively. The failures of Oct. 7 leave no margin for complacency regarding the hostile intentions and capabilities of its adversaries.
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran still pose threats
Hamas remains armed in Gaza, Hezbollah continues to threaten from the north, and Iran still aims to harm Israel. These threats are concrete, and Sukkot does not obligate us to feign ignorance of them.
What Sukkot does demand is that these dangers not eclipse every reason for gratitude.
For over two years, the hostage crisis cast a shadow over virtually every facet of Israeli society. Families endured endless negotiations and contradictory updates, never certain whether the next bulletin from Gaza would bring relief or further tragedy. The nation collectively shared their anguish week after week while the captives’ fates remained uncertain.
This daily dread has been absent for months, and for the first time its absence is palpable within the Sukkot celebrations themselves. No hostage family now enters the holiday fearing that a loved one will spend another Sukkot in captivity.
This shift is no minor development and should not be understated.
Recognizing this achievement does not diminish the ongoing fight against Hamas or the threats emanating from Lebanon and Iran. It merely signifies a refusal to allow lingering dangers to nullify a blessing that Israelis once desperately prayed for.
Jewish life has seldom occurred under conditions of absolute security. If celebration must be deferred until all enemies are vanquished and all threats eliminated, it would forever be postponed to an unattainable future.
Sukkot repudiates that calculus; the Torah situates joy within the sukkah, not after its departure.
This year, the symbolic empty chair can finally be removed.
And that, for the moment, is cause enough to celebrate.■
The writer served as deputy communications director under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
