All language subtitles for Storyville.S2025E15.Holding.Liat.1080p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track4_[eng]

This programme contains some
strong language, and scenes which
some viewers may find upsetting

LIGHT BREEZE, CRICKETS CHIRP

JET ROARS OVERHEAD

JET'S ROAR FADES

OK.

SLOW, TENDER MUSIC

OBJECTS RUSTLE IN THE WIND

WIND CHIMES TINKLE

METAL SQUEAKS

DOOR CREAKS

DOOR OPENS, MAN SIGHS

Jesus.

WOMAN SNIFFLES

You want the buffalo?

Is the buffalo still here?

It didn't protect her very well.

SHE SIGHS HEAVILY

- Erm...
- Wait. Yehuda?

- What?
- Come here.

Jesus.

Joining us now is Yehuda Beinin,

a New Jersey native now living
in Israel,

whose daughter, Liat, and
son-in-Law, Aviv,

were taken hostage by Hamas.

Can you tell us a little bit
more of what you know

about what happened October 7th?

The kibbutz was attacked
by about 200 commandos.

They were going from house to
house, and they were executing

men, women, and children,

burning out the houses.

The toll at the end of the day

was that 30 members of the kibbutz
of 400 people were killed...

..and 70 were abducted to Gaza.

How do you put one foot
in front of the other?

We...we need to maintain
our ability to function

effectively
throughout this ordeal.

This has been very, um...
Very trying for us,

for my wife and I.

Our focus,
and our grandchildren's focus,

is to return their parents
from Gaza.

Can you tell us a little
about your daughter, Liat,

and her husband, Aviv?

Liat and Aviv met actually
at a very young age

er, through
youth movement activities.

Liat is a history
and civics teacher.

She also specialises in
Holocaust studies,

and Aviv is an accomplished artist,

and manager
of the agricultural garage.

Have you heard anything, Yehuda,
about their captivity,

where they've been held?

- Any details?
- No.

- We send our best to you and family.
- Thank you.

It is so hard, not knowing
what's going on with her,

not being able to speak to her,

not being able to do anything.

It's nerve-racking, and...

..I don't even want to say this,

but my biggest worry is that
she's not with us any more.

Um... Either she or Aviv, that one
of them was killed somehow.

Generally speaking, I like to be
in control of events.

And here, there are events
over which we have absolutely

no control and...and we're being
led by crazy people,

whether it's on the Israeli side, or
whether on the Palestinian side.

And the result is
all this death and destruction.

And it...The whole situation
makes me angry.

What has to be
Israel's top priority right now?

I would say that it's paramount to
bring the hostages back home.

The Netanyahu government seems
to have decided

that it's more important
to invade the Gaza Strip.

I don't expect
that all of these hostages

will come back home.

Do you think that the calls
that we're hearing from...

TV FADES INTO SOMBRE MUSIC

Bibi understands
here's an opportunity

to realise the classic dream
of every right-wing politician.

Never waste a crisis
to advance your agenda.

His agenda
is preserving his government,

annexing the West Bank,

making his coalition partners happy.

The hostages are not on Bibi's...
They're not on Bibi's agenda.

QUIET VOICES ON HOME VIDEO

SPIRITED CONVERSATION

DISTANT JET ROARS

Yehuda and I deal
with problems differently.

I feel that I have to be here
with my grandchildren,

but Yehuda feels that going
to the American government

is the only way
to free the hostages.

I don't know how much
influence Yehuda will have,

but if somebody has to go speak to
politicians,

it's certainly not me.

So, Yehuda's better at talking.

Whatever happens with Aviv and Liat,
it's not in my hands...

..but it's not in my nature
just to sit around

and to wait for
things to happen.

This is not a future
that I envisioned

for either of my children.

When has war ever ended well?

Liat actually, because
she's smarter than me,

understands this...understood
this a long time ago,

much before...much before me.

The idea is that
the hostage families

meet with the leaders, politicians,

members of the...of the House
of Representatives,

to provide
the human side to this story.

I think that the struggle
for peace and reconciliation

would be the best way
to respect Liat and Aviv.

Netta, your story
in particular,

since the Hamas people
were in your room,

is very powerful.

It's not always obvious
the best way to move forward,

the best way to present the case,

and it's...it's
important to do it right.

I understand any reaction
after a catastrophe like this.

On the other hand,
what happens when this is over?

Making sure that what
was will not be, it cannot be.

It's not sustainable.

Abba, let's just figure
out where Liat and Aviv are.

Let's just focus on that, Abba.

This trip does not need
to be about what happens

with Israel and Palestine.

I don't think Netta is there either.
Let's just....

Yes, but we have
to do both things.

Very difficult.

Right. You do both things. I'm
going to focus on getting Liat and
Aviv.

Benjamin Netanyahu...

Let's just focus.

Well, I don't know!

It doesn't matter,
your opinion or my opinion.

Let's just do one thing at a time.

I am an Israeli citizen. My opinion
does matter, actually.

And the Prime Minister
is trying to duck responsibility

for this, and we cannot let him
get away with that.

That's how I keep my sanity,
by the way.

That I can understand. OK.

This is ridiculous.

My father has been displeased with
the trajectory of Israel

for a pretty long time.

I was like, if you're so unhappy

with the place that you live in,
leave.

That was my way
of dealing with that situation.

It was just like, too much.
I'm leaving.

I think every person in Israel
has someone that they have lost

because of Palestinians,

and I'm sure that on the
Palestinian side,

everyone knows someone that they
have lost because of the Israelis.

So how do you even
begin to coexist

in that kind of violent...cycle?

I don't know.

In this country, people are
putting around posters

of the kidnapped,
and it's now turned into

where are they being torn off?

Because there's a counter-movement
tearing off these posters.

The only people who can
share your stories are you,

and you're here doing
that to the people

that can really impact
what's happening,

and I hope and pray
that each of you

feel a little bit of power
being here.

Let's go walk. Come on.

These people came, they
left their families in their

most difficult time to come meet
with you and your colleagues

to share their stories, and so
their stories could be heard.

- Yeah.
- So we'll start with Netta.

I'm Netta Atzili.

I was in Nir Oz, one of the
kibbutzes that were attacked.

I was alone there, and
I started hearing gunfire.

I thought I was going to die when
they broke into my apartment.

They tried to open the door
to the Mahmad,

and I had to hold it down.

- Safe room, right?
- Safe room, yes.

You held the door and kept
them from coming in?

That was it, yeah.

Thank you very much.
God bless you.

He must've blessed you. You wouldn't
be here if he didn't.

I wish I knew the solution.

I just want my parents back.

Yeah. Yeah.

All right. Thank you.

Good luck to all of you.

I'm a personal trainer,
and I've lived in Portland

for the last nine years.

I'm here on behalf of my sister
and my brother-in-law

who were both taken.

I'm also here on behalf of
my two nephews that survived,

and I just want their mum
and dad to come back.

I'm so honoured
that you would be here.

And, you know, my parents fled,
you know, the Nazis.

Not all got out. We lost family
at Kristallnacht.

The challenge of bringing
your families back

is front and centre for me.

I hate this, really.

I don't like asking for help.

I think also, everybody
that we've met with

is doing all they can,

so I'm not exactly sure
what the point is.

I mean, I'll do it, you know,
cos it's for my sister.

I'll do it, but it's just not
my preferred way of helping.

I'm saying in the name
of my daughter and her husband

as part of the hostage release,

I think the most important message
after this is all over

is the question, "Now what?".

Reconciliation with
the Palestinians is probably

the single most important thing
that can actually

effect a change for the better
in the long run.

I would like to add dimension
to the specific circumstances

of my daughter
and son-in-law's abduction.

In our conversation with
President Biden,

his endgame is a two-state
solution at some point.

In the meantime, it is clear
to the president

that Hamas is not
a part of any solution.

I just want to add to that.

So, I think we have
one objective.

One objective only. Bring the
hostages back home. OK?

We don't even know if our loved one
is alive or dead.

Do you want to think about
that for a second?

All the other stuff
could wait for another day.

Other than the personal stories to
reach the hearts of these people,

what action items are there?

I know my daughter.
She's a history teacher.

She's also a guide
at Yad Vashem.

She has a sensitivity
to other people's suffering.

I feel I'm honouring her
by advancing this message

of reconciliation and peace.

- TV:
- Hey, guys. Good morning.

The Israelis continue their
strikes against the Gaza Strip,

They're ready to completely
eradicate Hamas from the map.

They want to get rid of the
group that caused the pain

and the suffering
of their people,

And that's part of the
calculation the Israeli

political echelon
has to make in all of this...

More than 200 people
remain hostages of Hamas

in the wake of that horrific
attack on Israel, October 7th.

Gabe, it is presumed that the next
step is the ground invasion.

If that happens, you know,

all of these people worry about
their loved ones.

There's no question that
there's a lot of big decisions

that need to be made in Israel.

But at the end of the day,
what needs to happen is

Hamas needs to be eradicated.

It's not just a slogan, it's
something that has to happen,

Israel needs to do that
to defend its people.

We'll continue the conversation with
all of you throughout the morning.

Netta, your parents
were kidnapped by Hamas.

When you hear about the protests
and everything else

going on in this country,

what would you like
to tell the people

about what happened to your family?

I don't understand
what twisted mind

think that it's somehow
justified because...

they slaughtered and kidnapped
innocent people.

They're your parents.

I want them back so bad.

I just want my parents back.

We all want them back.

HE SIGHS

We thank you very much.

It was great. It was great.

I take serious exception

to using this to foster
some kind of war agenda.

The organiser seems to think
that this is going to help us.

But that's not happening, right?

They're deflecting to
distract people from the fact

that Israeli politics
is a big part of the reason

why we're in this mess
to begin with.

NETANYAHU: It's our
common civilisation

against their common barbarism.

Civilisation must win.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, Rabbi. Just very quickly,
I'd like to invite to the stage

Netta Atzili,
the son of Liat and Aviv,

who were kidnapped,

to just in one moment
share a few words with you. Netta.

I spent the entire day
texting with my parents

and my friends to see
that they're still alive.

And around noon
I stopped hearing from my mother.

HE SIGHS

Every moment we spend here,

it's another moment
they are still there,

and we can use
all the help we can get.

Thank you.

APPLAUSE

- I'm a kibbutznik.
- Doesn't make a difference.

Yeah, I know,
but you need to understand...

- What can we do to help?
- You need
to understand. Listen,

you want to do something important?

You have to say that in Israel,

we need to let the religious
establishment

go from the government.

Let them. I have nothing against...

I have nothing against..

I can respect that.

But you have Ish Ma'amin sucking
money out of the government

in order for a prime minister
to keep his coalition together.

And it's more and more...

I don't care about Bibi. I don't
give one damn about him.

- Ah! Now you don't care about Bibi.
- I don't care. I never did.

- Now you don't.
- I never did.
But listen...

Sometimes it's better to just be
quiet, Abba, and sometimes....

Sometimes people with
these ridiculous ideologies

need to be quiet.

You're not in Israel, and this is a
different group of Jewish people.

That is also something
that needs to be...

I feel that our group is
being dragged out here

like a dog and pony show.

But when I have a Bibi
supporter insisting that I wear

a yarmulke, that's where
I draw the line.

- Let's leave.
- No! No.

No, I'm not going to run away.

I'll stand my ground.

Somebody in that position
should know when to crawl.

You think I wanted to
meet Mitch McConnell?!

- The fucking asshole's pro-abortion!
- You're being recorded.

But I did. You know why? Because
he is a powerful person.

I did as well. I didn't have
a problem with that.

Sometimes, you know, we have to...

I didn't want to go to
Fox and Friends yesterday!

That's a hard one.

HE CHUCKLES

But you see,
everybody is making compromises,

so you know what?
For getting Liat and Aviv back,

put a fucking yarmulke
on your head.

Netta, the way you carry yourself
is very sincere, very heartfelt.

You can be proud of yourself

that you are able to pass on the
message so effectively like that.

Concentrating on
the larger picture,

is a way for me
to stay calm in all this.

Don't misunderstand my feelings.

I mean, I'm very, very upset.

It's just, the way I deal
with it is different.

Hopefully all this business will
come to an end soon.

Israel will cease
their counteroffensive

when Hamas ceases to be
a threat to the Jewish state.

CHEERING

How anyone in America could
sympathise with these terrorists

is truly unfathomable.

And those monsters
deserve nothing short of

total destruction.

What is up, Mishpocha-a-a-?!

You know why they
hate Israel?

They hate Israel
because Israel represents,

an unapologetic statement
from the Jewish people

that we will no longer run,
we will no longer hide.

We will no longer
stay silent.

CHEERING

I am completely mixed up.

Given the number of different
messages or strategies

that I've heard over the
past couple of weeks,

I'm a little surprised that

Very slight mention has been made

of the 7,000 prisoners
that Israel's holding,

very little mention has been made
of the personal situation

that Netanyahu is in.

Bibi, in his own right,

is a roadblock
to a lot of things happening.

And you can't not...
You can't ignore that.

- What's his agenda?
- His agenda
is to keep his ass out of jail!

The longer this conflict goes on,
the more time we have to...

Yes.

We understand very clearly

that our relatives are at risk.

So let's put some accountability
in his seat to do something.

And if it's up to the
United States

to push him over the edge of the
cliff at which he's standing,

then so be it.
That's what I would like to say.

The United States has never had
a problem overthrowing other

governments when they stood in
the way of American interests.

And Bibi Netanyahu stands in
the way of American interests.

I think I pushed myself
to the limit here.

No matter how many people
I convince,

they are still there.

And...

..and even as we speak,
they're still imprisoned,

or..or worse.

And...

..there's no guarantee that
what I've done here is enough.

Breaking news about
a deal in the works,

a plan to potentially release
about 50 hostages,

including women and children.

US and Israeli officials
tell us they are "cautiously

optimistic", but they say that
neither the number of hostages

nor the number of Palestinians
to be released have been finalised.

The health ministry in Gaza
says more than

14,000 people have been killed

in Israel's retaliatory campaign.

There's no guarantee
that either of them are

coming out of this alive.

How this ends
hasn't been determined yet.

Yeah.

In a situation like we're in,
you have to escape somehow.

My escape is like, all right,
I'm not dealing with this now,

and Yehuda's escape
is to deal with it so that

he doesn't have to think of
the horrors

that Liat and Aviv
might be going through.

He wants these senators
and these congressmen

to listen to him,

but I don't know how much effect
it really has on them.

Who knows?

Key members of the
Netanyahu cabinet

are throwing fire on the flames,

taking advantage of the Hamas attack
to advance their anti-Arab agenda.

So far, thousands of
Palestinians have died,

and there's a lot of fear
among families

that have hostages in Gaza
that what Israel is doing

is guaranteeing that they're never
going to see those hostages again.

Israel has crazy people
in government,

and they have no compunction
for people dying,

to sanctify
the name of the Lord.

And to be very frank,
this is about

the last thing in the world
that I need right now,

is for somebody to die
in that manner

because some politician is blinded

by some fanatical religious
messianic outlook.

That might not be a popular
opinion, by the way,

but that's my opinion.

- Nice to meet you, sir, and best of
luck.
- Thank you very much.

- How do you pronounce
your last name, sir?
- Beinin.

- Excuse me?
- What horrible circumstances...

- Can I say hi?
- Hi.
- Hi!

Ahmad Mansour.

Let me know if you
want to talk.

We're having meetings
with the congresspeople here

- for a ceasefire, but...
- Maybe can you...?

Wait, wait. OK. First of all,
it's an honour to meet you.

I feel your pain. You don't
have to say that.

I lost half of my family so far.

- Yehuda?
- You don't know
my political background.

So if you knew, you would be
very much more understanding

that there's a lot more that
we agree about than I can...

than I'm at liberty to say here.

But these times,
you have your daughter,

but you understand
that the Israeli army,

they do not want the hostages
to come out.

Er, I...

I don't think
it's appropriate to go there.

I don't know what they want.

I don't know if it's correct
to make an assumption,

but I'm worried.

It's not the Israeli army.
It's Bibi Netanyahu.

Yes, yes. Put your hand.

We agree on much more
we disagree on.

Before October 7th, I wouldn't
maybe shake your hand,

but now you feel the pain.

They are talking about
a ceasefire resolution,

but that guarantees
the release of the hostages.

And I tell them the bombardment
has to stop

because they're dying.

CHANTING

We want justice. We say now!

- Let them see the pressure now!
- Let them see the pressure now!

- Free, free Palestine!
- Free, free Palestine!

Biden claims to
represent the American people.

He claims to represent democracy,
but that is laughable.

Because the people have spoken
and they're saying,

"Biden, your legacy is genocide."

- What do we want?
- Ceasefire!

- When do we want it?
- Now!

- What do we want?
- Ceasefire!

- When do we want it?
- Now!

- If we don't get it?
- Shut it down!

If we don't get it?

Shut! It! Down!

I'm here to join with
my Palestinian friends

and colleagues
calling for a ceasefire.

The mass murder of Palestinian
civilians in the Gaza Strip

will not make
Israeli Jews safer.

I do not want one more
Palestinian civilian to die

in revenge for my family's pain.

It must stop.
Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Calling for a one-sided
ceasefire ensures that Hamas

will repeat the actions
that they did on October 7th,

and in fact, they said that
that's what their goal was.

I see his position as being one
of the capitulation of Israel,

and it's just not
going to happen.

Things don't work like that.

What I want to see is
the capitulation of

religious fanatics
with political agendas,

whether they're
Jewish or Muslim.

APPLAUSE

Next up, we have Professor
of Middle East History,

Joel Beinin.

Thank you, Julia.

It's a little bit more
difficult than usual

for me to speak today.

I think most of you know
that my niece,

Liat Atzili was taken hostage.

But I think we all understand
that the history

of Israel/Palestine
didn't begin on October 7th.

During the 1948
Arab-Israeli War,

the state of Israel was established

while 750,000 Palestinian Arabs
fled in fear,

or were forcibly expelled
from their lands

and their homes, and Palestinian
society was destroyed.

This is what Palestinians call
the Nakba, or "The Catastrophe".

There is no way
to understand what happened

in Israel-Palestine
on October 7th, 2023

without understanding the Nakba.

Acknowledging the Nakba
does not mean a genocide of

the Jewish people of Israel
or driving Jews into the sea,

or even necessarily
the end of Jewish statehood.

It is an acknowledgement
of a historic wrong.

I want to insist here
that telling a history

that isn't like the one
that you're familiar with

doesn't dehumanise Israelis.

Being opposed to what Israel
is doing in the Gaza Strip now,

which we should be clear, it is
the destruction of Gazan society.

I mean, the place
is being flattened.

That's not anti-Israel.

APPLAUSE

You know that
this was the first time

this conflict
is very personal for me.

I mean, I feel very connected
to Liat, and I...I have

a lot of affection for Aviv,
and especially the way that

he used to take care of our mother

when he would come to the apartment
and fix everything up,

and things like that.

So, on the one hand, my feelings
are as a member of the family

and certainly want to be
supportive of the family.

And on the other hand, I'm here,
and I disagree politically.

Listen, Joey, I'm not going to give
the Palestinians a discount.

They need to take responsibility
for their own bag of shit,

of which there is no lack of.

OK! But you don't think that every
day Israel is creating members

of a new Hamas by what
it's doing in Gaza Strip?

I don’t know. It's a question.

It's a legitimate question.
What can I tell you?

There's been a big gap
between my opinions

and those in the family.

since long before I left
Israel, actually, because

when I had an about-face
in my views was 1972.

We were taught that the kibbutz
is the vanguard of

a socialist transformation
of the State of Israel.

And we came to Kibbutz Lahav
in September of 1970.

Can't help but notice that the
kibbutz is literally constructed

on the ruins of three
Palestinian villages.

So there was this...

..racialized norm of things that
could be seen and not seen,

and said and not said,
that covered everything.

It was devastating.

And part of why I chose to
leave is because I always

thought, if they don't
resolve this issue,

something horrible like this
can happen.

Nowhere near enough
aid has been allowed in.

The destruction in Gaza City
is immense.

Palestinian families now find
themselves once more without homes.

Assed Baig, Al Jazeera.

When you look back,
in retrospect, almost all of

the kibbutzim were created on lands

that were previously occupied
by Palestinians.

So, how do you reconcile that
with a socialist ideology?

And it's very difficult
to do that.

When Chaya and I decided
to come to Israel

in the early '70s,

it was about coming to the kibbutz,

building a socialist society

for better Israel,
for a better world.

We envisioned a shared society
for Palestinians and Jews

as well as a shared state.

And unfortunately, that didn't work
out as we had hoped.

And I'm very sad about that...

..actually.

There are 15 million or so
people living between

the Jordan River and
the Mediterranean Sea,

and half of them are Jewish,
and half of them are Palestinians,

and nobody's going anywhere.

And we have to figure out
a way to deal with that.

We need to be able to address
Jewish concerns as well as

Palestinian concerns,
to recognise the humanity

in each other
and to move forward.

HE SIGHS

Jesus.

SHE SOBS

It doesn't sit well with me
that he's wounded.

Who knows when he's coming out.

But, um, now we have another
thing to worry about.

Bullet wounds get infected.

Yeah.

CHILDREN CHATTER AND PLAY

APPLAUSE

MUSIC: How Deep Is Your Love
by the Bee Gees

MUSIC FADES

Just hours from now,
we expect a pause in

the fighting between
Israel and Hamas.

The first step toward an expected
hostage release on Friday.

Earlier today, officials in
Qatar, which helped broker

this deal, said the first group
of 13 women and children

would be released to the Red Cross
and taken to safety.

It says 13 hostages will
be returned tomorrow at 4:00.

..between Israel Hamas, as
the first 50 hostages

held captive in Gaza,
women and children

are to be released
under the terms of the deal.

In exchange,
Israel will release at least

150 Palestinian prisoners.

PHONE RINGS

RADIO: ..pause in the fighting,

and according to Israeli media,
that'll include Israel's

ground assault and air operations.

If things go as planned,

Israelis are going to be released
each day by Hamas.

But it's important to say Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

has said bluntly,
this war is not over.

This is a pause,
not a stable ceasefire.

He's a fucking idiot.

..around 240 people
were taken hostage

when Hamas attacked,
including 40 children...

Hello, baby.

I'm so happy to see you.

NEWS REPORT PLAYS

Netta is having the hardest time
of the three of them.

And I don't know if going to
The States telling his story

was such a great idea for him.

On the one hand,
I think it helped him by

getting it out.

But on the other hand,

kept bringing it out
and having to face it...

Netta thought that
he was going to die,

and I think that's something that
he will have trauma about

for the rest of his life.

In October 8th,
we left Nir Oz,

and the only thing I wanted
is to go back home.

The hotel, it's like a funeral.

Everybody's sitting
and doing nothing all day.

Maybe some, you know,
some fun activities,

some vacation activities.

But we're not on a vacation.

We...we're after a tragedy,
and we want to face it.

In October 7th, I felt like
I was being raped,

that I couldn't do anything,
being so passive.

So I want to switch the...

..from passive to active.

The kibbutz is like a grandma,
and she's really ill.

And she's in the hospital.

But to not come visit her
and to not help her,

I think that's...

I would be ashamed of myself.

So we have the responsibility
for the kibbutz.

I feel that this is the way
that I can help the most.

I miss them, and I stop myself
from calling them...

..for stupid things,

like, where is this?
Where is that?

I'm worried.

It is the responsibility of
the government of Israel

to get the hostages back,

and if they have to give
10 or 20 Palestinians

for each hostage, I don't care.

I can tell you that,
off the record. Off the record...

No, off the records!
Stop with it.

Or maybe I won't say that.
Never mind.

Eh, my wife is yelling at me.

Bye-bye.

Just because you say
something to someone

off the record, that doesn't mean...

But you can say it more nicely!

I did!

Thanks, everyone,
for jumping on this call.

It's clear to everyone
on this screen that

the Americans
aren't coming home yet.

And it's been disappointing
that that's not happened.

You know, originally,
we all thought that being

American
has an advantage right now.

It almost sounds like it's...
It works against

our kids and family.

So, if you were in Hamas' shoes,

you might be trying to hold back
US citizens

to increase your leverage
as the negotiation goes on.

Roger, in that respect,
it may very well be that

as far as the Hamas is concerned,
Israel is the one who's

holding the cards,
in terms of what the Hamas wants

by sheer number
of released prisoners.

And...and that subject
hasn't been broached here,

but I think that's like the
elephant in the room actually.

If it comes down to a numbers
game, and in the end,

all the prisoners that Israel
holds will be released anyway,

let's get this over with already,

because by the way, a number
of the hostages are wounded.

You know, when Gilad Shalit was
kidnapped, the next day

Hamas said we would like
1,000 hostages.

And five years later,
you know how many hostages

we traded for Gilad Shalit?

- 1,002?
- 1,027.

Don't make us wait five years.

We're going to pay.
It's going to be horrible.

So pay, and have it be
horrible tomorrow.

Listen, it sounds grotesque,
but I say good for Hamas.

They want to torture us?
They're doing it beautifully.

They're not just, you know,
having our people, but they're

having everybody's family in
the most unique and exquisite

form of torture that there is.

And I just...
And that I expect from Hamas,

but I don't expect that
from the Israeli government,

and I don't expect that
from the American government.

Right there with you on that.

And I feel your desire for
urgency here on this call.

That's why it's important
to talk to you all.

Thank you, everyone.

PHONE RINGS

No, it's Tal.

Hello, dear.

So, I spoke to the kids, and they
said that I should come to Eilat.

Yes.

- Yes.
- Tell me if you hear anything
about tomorrow.

OK. I will let you know.

- All right.
- OK, so see you soon.
- Talk to you later.

- OK. Bye-bye.
- Bye.

It's always the nick of time
that is...

everything starts to kind
of come up,

and I get most anxious and nervous,

which is
where we are right now.

There's a lot of guilt
because I'm here,

and I'm drinking my coffee
and I'm eating my dinner,

but where is my sister now?

Who's holding her and where?
Is she in a house?

Is she in a cave,
is she being fed?

Does she have her glasses?

If and when she comes back,

how is she going to come back?

Is she going to be strong enough
to take care of her kids?

I think everybody's
just really in survival mode.

Everybody's tired.
Everybody's very disappointed.

Not the best emotions.

My opinion is that
Hamas doesn't have them.

That somebody else has them.

I have a letter from
the lawyer who said that

he specifically got information
from the State Department,

that the State Department
is asking for Liat

to be released by name.

The fact that the State
Department asked for Liat to be

on the list, one, that
doesn't mean that Hamas...

But Ohad said that
if the United States

asked for this specific person,
they would be on the list.

No! That's not what Ohad said.

- Yes, he did.
- He said if Biden asked
for Liat to be on the list.

There's a big difference.

You think that Biden's talking
to Yahya Sinwar?

If you're reading your phone,
I'm not going to talk to you.

- I'm not going to talk to you if
you...
- Do you understand?

This is the kind of comment
that I don't need to hear.

- Yes, but...
- I'm doing something!

So say you're doing something,
and I should wait

- until you're finished.
- This is new.

But the expectation was that
there would be, that Liat would

be included in the first 50,
based on what I was told.

Yes, but also the
people who are telling you

don't know who's holding Liat.

I'm angry too, that they're
being held hostage, and...

Great. So don't... What do
you have to contradict me for?

Because it doesn't make any
sense, what you're saying.

It most certainly does.

I think differently than you.
It's OK!

And you think differently
than I do. It's OK.

You don't have to criticise
me about it.

And I'm not criticising you
for what your opinion is.

I don't agree with you,
but I'm not criticising you.

You're entitled to your
opinion, and I'm entitled

to my opinion also.

- But you're...
- I want the hostages
back. They're playing games.

Yes, of course they're
playing games.

All right. I'm not making excuses.
I want them back.

Why are you so understanding
about their considerations?

Fuck 'em all.

I made an effort to do something.

Say it's a good effort.
Don't say, "How good is it?"

- No, but...
- I'm sick and tired
of this shit.

DOOR SLAMS

KNOCKING

- Bye-bye.
- Bye-bye.

TEXT ALERT PINGS

"Your daughter...

"So I just want to be sure that
I heard you correctly.

"Liat's on the list for tonight?"

Yes.

She has a happy cat.

I was preparing myself
that she wasn't coming.

I wasn't even thinking
that she might be coming.

And...

And she's coming.

I'm going to have my two girls.

HELICOPTER WHIRS

We're coming on the air
with breaking news.

Hamas has released
one American hostage

from Gaza,
American woman Liat Beinin,

along with 15 other people.

Eight other Americans
remain held in Gaza.

This transfer is happening literally
under the wire of the deadline.

In exchange for these releases,
Israel is setting free

30 Palestinian prisoners
from Israeli jails.

This brings the total
number of hostages freed

during the truce to 97.

That means about
150 are still detained.

They are currently
on their way to Israel.

They're safely out
of the Gaza Strip.

Yes, sir.

I want to express on my part
and the part of my family,

my great gratitude to you
in your efforts

to secure my daughter's release.

One second. Chaya? Chaya!

I want... I want my wife
to say, talk to you as well.

Say hello to the President.

Hello?

Well, I'm very glad that you
had a part in bringing her home

to us because I don't think
she would be here

if it wasn't for you
and the United States.

Oh, she can't wait.

I'm sure she can't wait
to see them,

and I can't wait to see her.

- PRESIDENT BIDEN:
- Got some
very good news to report.

Liat Beinin is safe in Egypt.

She's crossed the border.

I talked with
her mother and father.

They're very appreciative,
and things are moving well.

She'll soon be home
with her three children.

Hi, honey.

I'm... I'm fine. I'm fine.

I'm fine!

You were supposed to be at
my house on that Saturday.

- Yes.
- I am so glad
that you were not.

JOYFUL SQUEALS AND LAUGHTER

Did you call her and say,
"Tal, get your ass over here?"

- I brought you something.
- What did you bring me?

- Your glasses.
- Yes!

I hope they're the ones you wear.

They are not the ones I wear.

Well, we couldn't find other ones.

- You were in my house?
- Yes.
- Yes.

You guys, I will say this.

I already started telling the kids.

I...had...no issues.

I don't want to talk about
Aviv right now. OK?

BABY COOS AND LAUGHS

- REPORTER:
- In the last few hours,
it's been confirmed to us

that Aviv Atzili
has not survived.

His wife, Liat,
was released yesterday.

Talking to these families,
you're hearing about the

ecstasy of hearing of
one family member's release,

and then the agony of
hearing another family member

who has not survived.

MUSIC PLAYS

CLAPPING

MUSIC FADES

I was worried about you guys,
but I was...

More worried about your kids,
which is more than normal.

I was terrified.

It is very hard from both sides.

I mean, you're my baby.

I knew that you
were going through

what I was going through,
and I was...

That was... That was really,
really hard, but I was...

I was so worried about them.

Do you remember when
you were a little kid?

Every time I hurt myself...

..you would say,
"I hurt myself over here",

and it was like the same place
that something happened to me

and the other way around also.

And I was so much hoping that
if anything happened to you,

- I would feel it.
- Yeah.

Yeah, but I....

I felt that... I had a
feeling that Ofri was OK.

- I was so worried about Netta.
- Mm-hm.

I mean, I knew that...that
they'd gone into his room.

And I was so worried
that something...

..that something would happen...had
happened to one of them

and to Aviv, because I wouldn't...

I wouldn't be able to get over it,

having to deal with losing
a child without Aviv.

I don't think that I'm very good
at expressing my feelings.

You suck at expressing
your feelings.

But on the other hand, I will
do everything in my power

to secure an endowment...for
the...for your children.

HE SOBS

All right.

You're allowed to, you know?

This is the first...

I know. I know. I know.

WIND CHIMES TINKLE

Oh.

Was murdered.

CHANTING ON TV

As the Israeli military ramps up
its offensive in Gaza,

anti-war slogans have
been resounding in Tel Aviv.

Protesters outside IDF
headquarters calling for

an immediate ceasefire.

We all suffer
and still mourn for the death

and hostages that,
from the 7th of October.

But we also mourn the many
death in Gaza that continue to

die and die and die every night.

But in a country traumatised by the
Hamas attacks,

these protests are also exposing
deep divisions in Israeli society.

BIRDSONG

President Biden
called you a survivor.

Does that sit well with you?
Does that feel correct?

It doesn't.

- It feels strange.
- Mm-hm.

I mean, I'm having a lot
of issues with myself

in the meaning
that I want this to have

um, in my life
and in how I define myself.

But it's...it's literally...
Literally, it's true.

Right. You mean you don't...
You don't want that to be

- your full identity.
- Yeah.

You would feel better
holding on to some of your

other identities,
like teacher, mother, friend,

- whatever your many identities.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah.

Your story is quite unusual.

Can you talk about
what you remember?

Aviv had left the house
very shortly after the attack began

because he was, he was
on the first response team.

And...

..the last I heard from him
was at like 8:30 in the morning.

So I was by myself in the
safe room in our house.

They came into the safe room,
they were armed,

but the very first thing
they said was,

"We're going. You're going
to come with us now,

"but don't worry, we're not
going to hurt you."

And the guy who took me from
my house brought me

to his family's home.

And his mother and his sister

just took really,
really good care of me.

I mean, they realised that
I was in shock

and that I was...

terribly upset.

I didn't know what happened
to my children or to Aviv.

That is so complicated,

that in a hostage situation where
you've just been kidnapped,

you have an immediate, heavy dose
of human empathy.

Yeah. It's really confusing.

We...

We were being held captive.

Obviously, it's not an easy
thing to go through,

and I know
that I was incredibly lucky.

But I thought
that these are people

and that I can communicate,

and that I'd be OK if I...managed
to make a connection with whoever.

They kept saying, you know,
our job is to protect you

and keep you safe and healthy
until you're released in a deal.

I mean, they kept saying
that from day one.

Yeah.

And did you learn
anything about them?

Well, very, very religious,

fundamentalist world view.

They kept saying, that
from the river to the sea,

it should all be
a Palestinian state,

and that all the Jews should leave.

Mm-hm.

And we discussed this,
and one said, you know,

well, yeah, maybe a two-state
solution has to be a solution,

at least temporarily,

until we conquer the world and
everybody converts to Islam.

Do you think they learned
anything that surprised them?

- I think so.
- Like what?

They didn't know
how Jewish Israelis saw

our connection to Israel.

And what, what many,
many Israelis say about

the Palestinians, "Oh, they have
so many countries.

"Why don't they go
somewhere else?"

No, they don't want to be Syrians,
Egyptians, Jordanians.

They're Palestinians
from...from here.

And I think they sort of had
the same...

They related to...Jewish Israelis
in the same way.

They kept asking me,

"Why do you feel that
this place belongs to you?"

I think that if before
October 7th peace was an option,

now there's no choice.

This cannot be the way
we live in the Middle East.

Mm-hm.

Are you saying that for yourself
and your family?

Like, who are you saying that for?

For everybody.

Mm-hm.

APPLAUSE

GENTLE BREEZE

BIRDSONG

OK.

LOW CHATTER