Two coming home... One more to go.

With the announcement of a prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel yesterday, two families received the very mixed news that their sons, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev (pictured above), were finally coming home... but not alive.

After two years of what can only be imagined as agonizing, heart-wrenching speculation and doubt about their sons' health and whereabouts, the Regev and Goldwasser clans have finally received closure. It's impossible to know how they feel or what complex emotions they will now have to deal with, but at very least, they can move forward and grieve.

While there's no doubt that Hezbollah is a despicable terrorist entity that uses fear and violence to conduct its business, and will surely attempt to do so again with Israel's sons and daughters, the saga of Ehud and Eldad has now had its final chapter written. May their families derive support from one another and cling to the knowledge that their sons died fighting for democracy and freedom for all.

Let's hope that the news from Hamas is not as sad when the story of Gilad Schalit's (below) capture reaches its denouement.


Here's the full report from Ha'aretz.