October 9.2025
Dear MEPIN readers,
Less than 24 hours before today’s interview, I was on another station, just before the cease-fire was announced. So much has changed since then, and yet so many questions remain.
Yesterday, before the cease-fire, my discussion focused on the objective challenges surrounding President Trump’s 20-point plan: the immediate and long-term obstacles Secretary of State Rubio will face in disarming Hamas, persuading Qatar and Turkey to maintain pressure, locating the bodies of the hostages (which will not happen quickly), and ultimately addressing the enormous task of de-radicalizing the Gazan population.
But today’s interview took on a very different tone. Once the hostage deal was announced, the conversation became more emotional than analytical. I shared that discussion with one of Israel’s most respected journalists, Ben-Dror Yemini of Yedioth Ahronoth, the nation’s largest daily newspaper.
As we spoke, I couldn’t help picturing what these 20 hostages have endured over the past two years—an ordeal beyond imagination—and how their return will be received by the Israeli people, who are now entering both a grieving and, hopefully, a healing process after months of profound trauma.
Please take a few moments to watch the interview, reflect on your own thoughts, and share them with me.