In October 2003, Oran Almog lost his eyesight at age 10 in a terror attack at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. His father, brother, grandparents and cousin were among the 21 people killed in the attack, which wounded 60, including his mother, sister and aunt.

Sami Jaradat, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad member who dispatched the bomber, was released as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January.

Almog, 32, told JNS on Sunday that it was hard for him to come to terms with Jaradat being free, but he understands “the bigger picture.”

His murdered family members are never coming back, but Jaradat’s freedom enabled Israeli hostages to return to Israel, he told JNS. “This is what’s most important to me, and this is the reason why I supported the deal,” he said.

“My pain d

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