Pain at release of terrorists under Israel-Hamas hostage deal
Micah Avni had to watch his father’s attacker go free in an exchange deal for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.CAESAREA, Israel — Ten years ago this week, two Palestinian attackers boarded a bus in Jerusalem and shot, beat and stabbed Israeli American educator Richard Lakin to death along with two others before police killed one of the militants and injured and arrested the other.
The surviving assailant, Bilal Abu Ghanem, was freed in February from his three consecutive life sentences for murder as part of the last Israeli ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
That’s when his son, Micah Avni, had to watch his father’s murderer go free.
“It feels like I’ve been betrayed by my country,” Avni, 56, said the day before Hamas exchanged 24 Israeli hostages for about 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences for serious crimes including terrorism.
Avni’s anguish and anger have now merged with a larger collective, shared by many Israelis whose loved ones were killed or maimed in terror attacks and who must now watch the perpetrators walk free as part of the latest ceasefire negotiated by the Trump administration.
Their torment hasn’t just punctured the euphoria surrounding last week’s agreement — it very nearly halted the deal and could still frustrate its full implementation.
Pain at release of terrorists under Israel-Hamas hostage deal
Micah Avni had to watch his father’s attacker go free in an exchange deal for Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
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