A new digital project by HaKol HaYehudi, “The Real Cost,” uncovers information previously hidden from the Israeli public. The dedicated website profiles all 737 released terrorists, detailing their crimes and their victims. The public is encouraged to explore, share, and examine this data to grasp the full price of the hostage deal.
Considerable effort was invested by public relations firms, left-wing NGOs, the media, and other entities to pressure the Israeli government and the public to accept a deal with the Hamas terror group. One of the first steps to legitimize the deal was to brush aside any discussion of the price Israel would pay.
The pain of the victims’ families was pushed aside as the murderers of their loved ones were set free, often returning to the very neighborhoods where they committed their crimes. At the same time, the grave danger posed to every Israeli citizen by releasing senior terrorists and leaders of terror groups was downplayed or ignored.
These deals not only jeopardize public safety but also incentivize future kidnappings and murders by signaling to terror groups that violence pays. With much of the information concealed from the public, the national debate remained abstract, and in many cases, even the victims’ families were informed only at the last moment that the terrorist who destroyed their lives would be walking free.
“The Real Cost – Faces, Names, and Terror Attacks” is a new website launched by HaKol HaYehudi that documents the terrorists released in hostage deals, the Israelis they murdered, and the attacks they carried out. This project seeks to shed light on the painful and often hidden price paid—and still being paid—for the return of hostages.
In a media landscape where this conversation has been discouraged, if not outright banned, both in mainstream outlets and on social networks, The Real Cost brings the facts to the forefront. You are invited to explore the site, engage with the information presented for the first time in this format, and share it with your friends and family so they too can understand the full story.
The site presents a comprehensive list of the 737 terrorists released in the second hostage deal with Hamas in January 2025, including 284 who were serving life sentences. Alongside their names, you’ll find documented over 700 victims who were murdered in the attacks these terrorists carried out.
Hundreds of hours were devoted to creating “The Real Cost” by the HaKol HaYehudi team and dedicated volunteers, who meticulously gathered each terrorist’s name from scattered sources and combed through old archives and reports to uncover the details of their attacks and the identities of their victims. In many cases, due to censorship and a lack of public discussion, they were the first to inform victims’ families that the murderer of their loved one was about to be released.
In the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal, one Israeli soldier was released in exchange for 1,026 terrorists—including Yahya Sinwar, who would go on to become the leader of Hamas and the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, massacre. There is little doubt that the release of Sinwar and other senior terrorists played a direct role in enabling the horrific atrocities that took the lives of some 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and resulted in the kidnapping and torture of some 250 Jews and gentiles. This outcome was made possible, in part, by the complete censorship of the true cost of Shalit’s release, reinforced by a well-funded media campaign orchestrated by his parents that shaped and suppressed the public discourse.
“The Real Cost” website compels us, as a society, to confront the hard questions that these deals raise: What price are we truly willing to pay for the release of hostages? Can we realistically prevent released terrorists from returning to violence? And how can we honor the memory of the victims while negotiating for the lives of those still in captivity? These are not theoretical questions—they are urgent moral and strategic dilemmas that demand honest public debate.
The information on the site was carefully compiled and reviewed; however, due to the absence of a central repository until now, some errors may exist. The website’s team considers this project a continuous effort and, given the sensitivity of the subject, welcomes the public’s help in identifying and correcting any inaccuracies.
At present, the website is available only in Hebrew, but the team is working to translate it into English in the near future.
