Author’s Note: This is a work of fiction.
Definitions:
MOAB - Mother of all Bombs
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb. The MOAB is also called “The Mother of all Bombs” by scientists and the community alike.
El Male Rachamim (God full of compassion) - is a Jewish prayer for the departed that is recited at funeral services
IDF - Israeli Defense Forces
Rivka Masarweh, aged 24, was taken Hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip took effect from 24 November 2023 to 30 November 2023.
A hostage exchange was initiated, except Hamas refused to return younger women.
The Israeli government was outraged that the younger women were withheld. The fear was the women were being sexually assaulted as well as physically assaulted and tortured.
It would be proven later that those fears were well founded.
Rivka, and the other Israeli female hostages had been sexually assaulted constantly after their abductions.
There were 30 Israeli women restrained in one large open event space on the top floor of a highrise in Southern Gaza. They all were given a mattress as most of their time was spent on their backs.
Southern Gaza had not been bombed yet.
Rivka, fluent in Arabic, realized quickly from hearing the guards chat, that Hamas had moved its headquarters from Northern Gaza to this southern Gaza building and the most important Hamas leaders were living and working on floors beneath them.
The IDF still believed the Hamas leaders were underground somewhere in Gaza.
After this realization, Rivka developed a plan.
She discussed her plan with the other hostages and they all agreed to it.
If one of them had said no, Rivka would not have gone through with it.
She slowly ingratiated herself with one of the Hamas guards and had him believing she was in love with him.
One night, after making love to him, she was able to steal his phone.
2am December 3, 2024.
Rivka sends the following text to a high ranking family member in the IDF. She hated that her last words would be in Arabic, but she had no choice.
The text read:
العم موشيه، هذه ريفكا. إحداثياتي هي 31.348534391347954، 34.29329739420882 أعلم أنني في جنوب غزة.
نحن في الطابق العلوي من المبنى. نحن نتعرض للاغتصاب والتعذيب يوميا.
أهم قادة حماس ينامون في الطوابق تحتنا.
يجب عليك قصف هذه الإحداثيات على الفور.
زملائي الرهائن جميعهم متفقون.
من فضلكم اطلبوا من عائلاتنا أن تصلي لنا صلاة المعالي رشاميم (صلاة الموت اليهودية).
English translation from Arabic:
"Uncle Moshe, This is Rivka. My coordinates are 31.348534391347954, 34.29329739420882. I know I am in Southern Gaza.
We are on the top floor of a building. We are raped and tortured daily.
The most important Hamas leaders are sleeping on floors below us.
You must bomb these coordinates immediately.
My fellow hostages are all in agreement.
Please ask our families to pray the El Malei Rachamim (Jewish Death Prayer) for us."
She attached a picture of the other women sitting on their filthy mattresses as well as all of their names.
Rivka gathered the hostages into the center of the room.
They held each other in a tight group hug and cried their last tears in silence, and waited.
The IDF dropped a MOAB within 10 minutes. Death came instantly and without pain.
The loss of the main Hamas leadership caused a complete breakdown in Hamas’ authority and power.
When the residents of Gaza realized what had happened, they seized the moment and rose up against the disjointed remnants of Hamas and imprisoned them.
They returned the remaining Israeli hostages in the hopes Israel would reciprocate, and they did. Israel returned their hostages, except for former Hamas soldiers.
Although Israel was hesitant, the combination of the elimination of Hamas and the related international pressure, forced Israel to agree to a ceasefire at 12 noon, Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
