On Monday morning, I stepped out for a coffee in Muswell Hill, the area of north London where I live. It was a bright, cloud-free day, and my heart leapt to see rows of yellow ribbons fluttering on the railings around a small park. Yellow ribbons have long been a sign of support for people taken hostage or in captivity, and right now they are a way of remembering the 48 Israeli hostages – 20 of whom, it is hoped, are still alive – held in horrendous conditions in tunnels beneath Gaza. Yesterday, October 7, marked two years since they...