Families of Israeli Hostages Killed Believe in ‘Power of Forgiveness’

It has been two years since October 7th, 2023 – when Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Even though it’s clear that Israel has caused far more death and destruction than even Hamas did on Oct. 7, it doesn’t mean Oct. 7 was anything other than a tragedy for the innocent Israeli civilians who were either murdered or taken hostage two years ago today.

In fact, some of the Israelis who suffered the most heart-wrenching losses from Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 have now actually become some of the biggest advocates for peace and most fervent critics of the Netanyahu government.

In this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, I speak to two of those people: Zahiro Shahar Mor, whose uncle Avraham Munder was taken hostage on Oct. 7. His uncle’s body was recovered last year in Khan Younis. Throughout the war, Zahiro has been arrested multiple times for protesting against the government’s handling of the war and advocating for a hostage deal – and even been beaten by Israeli police.

Then there is Israeli peace activist Maoz Inon, whose parents Bilha and Yakov Inon were both killed two years ago today, during the Oct. 7 attack. Since then, Maoz has dedicated himself to forgiveness and reconciliation, and has built partnerships with Palestinians to try and envision a future beyond war and revenge.

Zahiro acknowledges that much of Israeli society has been taken over by genocidal fever since Oct. 7, saying that, “concerning Israeli society’s attitude toward Gaza…it’s like a black hole over there.”