As Gaza was swept by an early-season heat wave, Gazans flocked to the beaches of the coastal enclave to cool off. The sight of life in Gaza seemingly going back to normal amid war was especially stinging for some of the families of the Israeli hostages who have been held in captivity for 195 days.

“It’s hard to watch this, and it’s also hard to know that since then he is still there, in a state of complete helplessness,” Oriya told Ynet. She expressed her disbelief at footage showing crowds at the beaches of central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah. “I felt like the world had gone mad. This is a joke, and it’s at our expense.”

Yarden, along with his wife Shiri and their…