Re’im, Israel — Traffic is usually light at 5:30 a.m. in southern Israel, but not Monday. Thousands of people, like me, were driving to stake out a roadside spot for the imminent return of 20 men who have been held hostage by Hamas for two years.

My route took me through Ofakim, a town of 40,000 that was attacked by Hamas on October 7. It is 30 kilometres from the Gaza border by road. This is how deeply Hamas penetrated Israel, encountering virtually no resistance. Aside from small groups of young soldiers on the border, the IDF was nowhere.

These roads, this region, are haunted by the ghosts of Hamas. It is impossible not to imagine them, marauding. I headed to the IDF base at Re’im, one of several along the Gaza border that was the site of fierce battles on October 7.

But Monday was j

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