Several years ago, part of an ancient winepress was uncovered in the ruins of the village of Korazim (known in the New Testament as Chorazim), but only recently have archaeologists been able to investigate further without damaging it. They found a mosaic floor that, like the winepress, dates to the talmudic period (200-500 CE), as the Jerusalem Post reports:

The winepress was found within the village, while most other winepresses are discovered outside of villages. . . . The winepress is about 52.5 square feet in area. . . . The farmers invested in decorating the winepress floor with a mosaic of patterns of squares and diamond shapes.

Korazim [also] houses impressive remains of a Jewish village from the time of the Talmud, including a magnificent synagogue. Korazim is mentioned in the New Testament and the Babylonian Talmud as a place where high-quality grain was produced, such as the wheat brought to the Temple.

The synagogue at Korazim is in the Galilean style, made from basalt stone. The inside of the synagogue features seashell decorations, a copy of the art of the Holy Ark [once found in the Temple], and a basalt throne, known as the Seat of Moses, with a dedication written on it to the donor of the chair.

Even if the agreement with Hamas to secure the release of some, and possibly all, of the remaining hostages—and the bodies of those no longer alive—is a prudent decision for Israel, it comes at a very high price: potentially leaving Hamas in control of Gaza and the release of vast numbers of Palestinian prisoners, many with blood on their hands. Nadav Shragai reminds us of the history of such agreements:

We cannot forget that the terrorists released in the Jibril deal during the summer of 1985 became the backbone of the first intifada, resulting in the murder of 165 Israelis. Approximately half of the terrorists released following the Oslo Accords joined Palestinian terror groups, with many participating in the second intifada that claimed 1,178 Israeli lives. Those freed in [exchange for Gilad Shalit in 2011] constructed Gaza, the world’s largest terror city, and brought about the October 7 massacre. We must ask ourselves: where will those released in the 2025 hostage deal lead us?

Taking these painful concessions into account Michael Oren argues that they might nonetheless be necessary:

From day one—October 7, 2023—Israel’s twin goals in Gaza were fundamentally irreconcilable. Israel could not, as its leaders pledged, simultaneously destroy Hamas and secure all of the hostages’ release. The terrorists who regarded the hostages as the key to their survival would hardly give them up for less than an Israeli commitment to end—and therefore lose—the war. Israelis, for their part, were torn between those who felt that they could not send their children to the army so long as hostages remained in captivity and those who held that, if Hamas wins, Israel will not have an army at all.

While 33 hostages will be released in the first stage, dozens—alive and dead—will remain in Gaza, prolonging their families’ suffering. The relatives of those killed by the Palestinian terrorists now going free will also be shattered. So, too, will the Israelis who still see soldiers dying in Gaza almost daily while Hamas rocket fire continues. What were all of Israel’s sacrifices for, they will ask. . . .

Perhaps this outcome was unavoidable from the beginning. Perhaps the deal is the only way of reconciling Israel’s mutually exclusive goals of annihilating Hamas and repatriating the hostages. Perhaps, despite Israel’s subsequent military triumph, this is the price for the failures of October 7.