The hours passed slowly.
Thanks to Yusuf's care, Uri's temperature dropped slightly and the bleeding stopped.
But his eyes remained vacant, staring at the ceiling of the tunnel as if he saw an endless void.
Yusuf sat near him, silently changing the bandage.
When he looked up, he found Uri whispering hoarsely:
"Why did you save me...? You should have let me die."
Yusuf replied as he tightened the bandage on his shoulder:
"Because your death here won't change anything... but maybe your survival will make you
think."Uri paused for a moment, then exploded:
"All my life... they told me that Arabs are animals. We have to kill them before they kill us. I believed them! I enjoyed it! At the checkpoint, during training... it was so easy to hate them."
His voice trembled, his eyes filled with tears:
"But now... you treat me better than my army ever did. You give me water... you clean my
wounds... while all I've ever given you is hatred."
Silence fell.
Na'oum stared at him in amazement, as if she were seeing a new person taking shape before her.
Khalid lowered his head, not daring to comment.
Yusuf moved a little closer, his voice steady but deep:
"Hatred is poison, Uri. It kills its owner before it kills its enemy. Perhaps this is the first time you see the truth: we are not animals... we are human beings like you."
Ori choked back his tears and tried to speak, but the words failed him.
He covered his face with his good hand and burst into muffled sobs unlike anything he had ever heard before.
Daniel watched the scene, his heart boiling.
He no longer saw the arrogant soldier in Uri... but a broken man facing his own reflection for the first time.
Inside, Daniel realised:
"If Joseph could change this stone wall... how could he not change me?"