ToI’s weekly deep dive: Tattoos as living memorials * Fraying Israel-Egypt ties * ’Digital pen pals’ * Solace in Cyprus for bereaved parents *Podcast: Author Shlomo Brody

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, February 4, 2024 Inside story [More than skin deep: Israelis who inked October 7 on their bodies as a living memorial]( By Amy Spiro As they mourn loved ones and grieve the worst terror attack in the country’s history, many turn to tattoos to keep close the memories of those they lost Inside story [Resilience amid ruins: Kfar Aza’s first two returnees hope to forge a path of renewal]( By Canaan Lidor Op-ed David Horovitz [Is there a way to bring the hostages home without derailing the war against Hamas?]( Hamas’s demands appear to present a near-impossible dilemma, especially for a riven government. But the IDF believes there is a path forward * Water and Iron * Divisive Netanyahu Analysis Lazar Berman [A hostage deal would put goal of toppling Hamas at risk — but not out of reach]( A national consensus on importance of restarting combat after long ceasefire will be key to withstanding intense international pressure — including from Biden — to end the war Interview [Egypt expert warns: Israel cannot afford to take Cairo’s cooperation for granted]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Researcher Mira Tzoreff says unlike Qatar, which thrives with Hamas in power, Israel and Egypt share a common goal – ridding Gaza of Hamas [Op-ed / Beyond Israel’s borders: Middle Eastern diplomatic ties under strain amid war in Gaza]( By Ksenia Svetlova [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Feb. 4: Day 121 – Anatomy of the fraying Israel-Egypt alliance]( By ToI Staff Explainer [What does Israel need to do to comply with the ICJ genocide decision?]( By Jeremy Sharon Provisional measures ordered by the court that Israel alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza and prevent incitement to genocide will be key to demonstrating compliance [Reporter's notebook / At packed Jerusalem conference, religious far-right dreams big of resettling Gaza]( By Jeremy Sharon Top Ops Sarah Tuttle-Singer [I’m Jewish. Of course.]( I know I’m afraid to wear my star of David right now, and I know that I’ll wear it anyway, because I know this too shall pass Susan Warchaizer [In which I can’t look away]( My son went to war in Gaza and I stayed home with my very loud thoughts Yoel Bin-Nun [Body count and the morality of the Gaza withdrawal]( When Israel ’occupied’ Gaza there were fewer deaths. When it left, there were more. Isn’t that a valid criterion of morality? Danielle Abraham [Destroying Israeli agriculture was part of Hamas’s evil plan]( It didn’t quite work: Israelis are resilient and, knowing how important the crops are for the country, they went back to tend the fields under fire United States [Experts debate whether Ivy League antisemitism probe is overreach or overdue]( By Cathryn J. Prince While everyone agrees that antisemitism on campus is a problem, not all see the ongoing congressional investigation as the solution – and some deem it a threat to higher education [Just before Holocaust Day, Columbia Law student senate rejected a club to fight antisemitism]( By Cathryn J. Prince [Are conspiracy theories about Oct. 7 a new form of Holocaust denial? Experts weigh in]( By Cathryn J. Prince From Mideast to Midwest [Chicago adopts Gaza ceasefire resolution after mayor casts tie-breaking vote]( By Jacob Magid Diaspora Canaan Lidor [In France, a celebrity flame war about Israel highlights shifting attitudes]( Young Palestinian woman – a Hamas advocate – enjoys an outpouring of sympathy following a wealthy Jewish TV star’s rebuke of her remarks supporting the Oct. 7 massacre [Op-ed / Russia is intimidating its expat celebrities in an attempt to silence them]( By Ksenia Svetlova [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( ToI podcast [What Matters Now to author Shlomo Brody: Jewish ethics and the Israel-Hamas War]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan When the imperative of self-defense brushes up against terrorists using innocent civilians as hostages and human shields, what should the most moral army in the world do? [‘Digital pen pals’ program connects North American and Israeli teens during wartime]( By Gavriel Fiske Now in its fourth year, the One2One initiative facilitates English conversations and cultural exchange between thousands of Jewish high schoolers on opposite sides of the world Interview [To stand up for Israel, Mideast expert agrees to be ‘punching bag’ for Arab media]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Since Oct. 7, Idit Bar has engaged in intensive public diplomacy on BBC Arabic and social media. In the process, she has learned to hit the ‘soft belly’ of a hostile audience [Interview / How did we get here? A new book chronicles Middle East politics, modern and ancient]( By Rich Tenorio [Interview / Film about deadly 2021 Arab-Jewish riots gives insight into post-Oct. 7 life in Israel]( By Rich Tenorio Health [New Israeli study uncovers molecular connection between anxiety and testosterone]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Ben-Gurion University researchers use cutting-edge genetic sequencing to connect the dots between a protein in the brain, low male hormone levels, and mental condition [IDF: 82% of soldiers treated for mental health since Oct. 7 are returning to duty]( By Renee Ghert-Zand and ToI Staff [Updated protocols for freed hostages include training to address sexual abuse, torture]( By Renee Ghert-Zand and ToI Staff [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( Bring them home [Parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin launch online educational toolkit]( By Maya Zanger-Nadis ‘Everyone Counts’ initiative designed to give people worldwide a pathway to effective, values-based activism on the plight of the hostages in captivity since the October 7 massacre [Designer 3D-prints tens of thousands of yellow ribbon pins for hostages]( By Jessica Steinberg Reporter's notebook [In the Cyprus mountains, bereaved Israelis find solace during wartime]( By Gavriel Fiske [Inside story / Exiled from greener pastures, southerners cram kibbutz life into two Tel Aviv towers]( By Shoshanna Solomon Frontlines [Israeli troops’ rescue of animals in Gaza fuels pro-Palestinian ‘looting’ charges]( By Canaan Lidor Some anti-Israel activists focus on the issue of pets being brought into Israel as complementary evidence to support a narrative of wrongdoing by Israeli soldiers in Gaza [Soldiers of the book / Unhooked from phones, troops in Gaza turn to reading to pass time]( By Tal Schneider Archaeology [Unable to dig, researchers look to cosmic rays to unlock Jerusalem’s ancient underworld]( By Diana Bletter From the blogs [Life with a PTSD partner]( By Ruth Wailand Our traumatized, post-Oct. 7 society will need new coping skills. These insights gained from my married life can help [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2024 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved