Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA)

The events of the October 7, 2023, massacre, the systematic rape, torture, wanton murder of men, women, children, babies, and the elderly, and the kidnapping of hostages provided a shocking insight into the barbarism of the Gazan terrorists. A new Israeli initiative has provided additional proof of the unimaginable evil that guides their actions.

Since the massacre, Israel has targeted the entirety of the extensive terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. From the outset, Israel’s goals were clear: Destroy Hamas, both as a fighting force and as a governance body, and free the hostages.

During the last year, Israel has substantially progressed in dismantling Hamas. The goal of freeing the hostages has, however, remained elusive. Of the 250 hostages taken during the massacre, some were released in return for a few days of ceasefire and the release of Palestinian terrorists, some were freed in daring IDF operations, others were murdered in captivity by the terrorists, and three were tragically killed by IDF forces. As of December 15, 2024, the terrorists continued to hold 100 people hostage,¹ of whom an estimated 60 are still alive.²

Recognizing the difficulty of locating and freeing the hostages, and more so specifically on the backdrop of the execution of six hostages as IDF soldiers closed in on their position, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu announced, on November 20, 2024, that Israel would give a reward of $5,000,000, free passage out of the devastated Gaza Strip, and immunity to anyone (and their immediate family) who freed a live hostage.³

If the reports of sundry United Nations organizations and other actors are to be even partially believed, Gaza has been thoroughly destroyed and the entire Strip faces a precarious humanitarian situation. South Africa, at the behest of its Iranian paymaster, has even claimed (falsely) that Israel is committing “genocide” in the Strip. Other actors have claimed that Gaza is facing starvation and a host of miscellaneous immediate and life-threatening challenges.

Why Would Hamas and Gazans Reject a Cash Reward?

In normal circumstances, given the situation in the embattled Strip, one would assume that the offer of a huge financial reward (to a population that has suffered alleged severe poverty for years), together with immunity from prosecution, and the promise of relocation would present an opportunity for throngs of Gazans to pressure the terrorists into releasing the hostages. Freeing the hostages would not only allow the terrorists to get rich and flee the area but also to substantially promote an end to the military operations.

Instead of seizing the opportunity, on November 30, 2024, Hamas published a video of Israeli-American hostage Idan Alexander, in Hebrew and English, entitled “Soon…Time is running out.” In the video, Idan even mentioned the reward offered.

The unimaginable evil of the Gazan terrorists and those who surround them is such that they are not even trying to reap the opportunity presented by Netanyahu. For them, abusing the hostages, using them as leverage to prevent Israel from destroying Hamas and to force the release of hundreds, potentially thousands, of other terrorists, is more important than their own lives, the lives of their families, and even the lives of the other Gazans, still suffering the consequences of the massacre.

Evil of this kind is not human nature, but rather a product of Palestinian nurture. The terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre and those who are today holding the hostages are not the product of Hamas alone. Rather they are the product of three decades of the Palestinian Authority brainwashing hatred of Israel and dehumanization of Israelis.

Thus, when discussing the future of the Gaza Strip, Israel stressed that the PA would play no further role and would not again be allowed to promulgate its hateful indoctrination of Gazans. The explanation was simple: If the PA returned to governing the Strip, Israel would be condemning itself to suffer the October 7 massacre, sooner or later, over and over again.

Herein, however, lies the problem. As the Gazan terrorists, including those holding the hostages, look at Israel’s policies, they are faced with contradictory messages.

On the one hand, in Gaza, Israel has justifiably identified the PA as the source of the violence and terror. On the other hand, in Judea and Samaria, Israel not only continues to cooperate with the same PA but even continues providing it with hundreds of millions of shekels a month.⁴

In Gaza, while repeatedly committing to destroying Hamas, Israel has adopted and maintained two policies that undermine that goal.

First, Israel has allowed the genocidal terror organization to continue fulfilling a significant role in the distribution of humanitarian aid. As a result, Hamas has maintained its dominance over the population and even benefitted financially.⁵

Second, Israel is actively engaged (albeit through intermediaries) in negotiations with Hamas to free the hostages.

While freeing the hostages is, of course, of the utmost importance, the public information about the emerging deal seems to suggest that Hamas will be awarded a substantial prize, with Israel’s agreement to cease some of the fighting in Gaza and release hundreds, potentially even thousands, of terrorists, including murderers.

The combined effect of these policies means that Hamas will continue to play a central governance role in the Gaza Strip and will not only be financially enriched but also be emboldened in Palestinian society as the freer of terrorists.

The war with Hamas and the other Gazan terrorists is not solely kinetic. Rather, it is also a war of perception. Thus, irrespective of Israel’s public statements, as long as the Gazan population continues to identify Israel’s policies on the ground as ostensibly undermining its commitment to destroy Hamas, no real change will be achieved.

Going forward, to achieve its goals, Israel will need to change its policies. In addition to the military pressure, which should be increased, Israel must take effective control of the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gazan population and rethink the consequences of providing the Hamas terrorists with the rewards of forcing Israel to release terrorists. Looking to Judea and Samaria, Israel should also re-evaluate its position regarding the continued cooperation with the PA.

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