Negotiation not an option
It now needs an opportunity to regroup, hoping that it will secure help from other terror groups waiting in the wings.
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Daily TribuneIt now needs an opportunity to regroup, hoping that it will secure help from other terror groups waiting in the wings.
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The terrorist group Hamas has been playing with international sentiment using the hostages of different nationalities it seized in the 7 October act of treachery to put global pressure on Israel to implement a ceasefire.
The United States thwarted a resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for a halt in Israeli operations as the superpower cited the right of Israel to self-defense.
Simply put, Hamas as a terror organization cannot demand a ceasefire with Israel, which is a legitimate state.
The Israeli airstrikes have essentially crippled the capability of Hamas to pursue its terror campaign against Israel and it now needs an opportunity to regroup, hoping that it will secure help from other terror groups waiting in the wings.
Crushing Hamas quickly is necessary to avert the possible participation of other foreign armed groups in the Gaza conflict.
Nations that have feuded with Israel sponsor armed militants that are now aching to get an order to strike and join the battle with Hamas.
Prolonging the conflict is to Hamas' advantage as global outrage is guaranteed when civilian deaths pile up and the hostages are released one at a time.
An estimated 200 people, including 30 teenagers and young children and 20 people over the age of 60, are being held hostage in Gaza, based on estimates from an Israel Defense Forces source.
Among the hostages are a still undetermined number of Filipinos who mostly work as caregivers.
The strategy of the terror group to win international sympathy by using subterfuge has backfired in most cases.
A commentary in the Thai broadsheet, The Examiner, indicated rising awareness of the level of deception being engineered by Hamas and its supporters.
According to the newspaper, comments by the Iranian Ambassador in Bangkok "demonstrate Hamas is using the 19 Thai hostages as leverage to halt the bombardment of the enclave."
Ambassador Seyed Reza Nobakhti said in Bangkok that the Hamas leader had assured the Iranian foreign minister the Thai hostages would be released, but this could not happen until hostilities ceased.
"However, Hamas, which Iran funds, made it clear that the hostages were being held in Palestinian safe houses but that no place was safe in Gaza," according to the commentary.
Thailand said 19 of its citizens were seized by Hamas during the terror strike over two weeks ago.
On Friday, Hamas released two American hostages, a mother and her daughter, following mediation by Qatar. The armed group said more will be released under a ceasefire.
Israel has resisted calls for a halt in its offensive against Hamas, saying the release of hostages will not affect its ongoing military operations.
Its target is the elimination of all Hamas infrastructure and facilities and the release of all hostages will follow.
The problem, however, is that as the crisis plays out longer, and the surgical strikes to take out Hamas targets can't be completed unless all the civilians evacuate, casualties will tend to rise and so will international indignation.
Such a situation favors Hamas which will assume the role of victim, which is preposterous as it initiated the war with Israel with the slaughter of the innocents.
Israel, which is now being accused in the United Nations and elsewhere of atrocities, however, had repeatedly warned residents to leave the war zone.
Israel has not been remiss in urging the residents to move south, towards a safer humanitarian area.
The IDF's notices to the people of Gaza, which were intended to protect them from the strikes on Hamas, stand in contrast to the way Hamas treats its civilians, using them as shields.
Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, one of its most reprehensible deeds is endangering Palestinian civilians during its terror operations, such as by positioning rocket launchers and command centers deep in the heart of Gaza. It even fortified tunnels under UN schools.
"Our war is not with the people of Gaza. It's with a murderous organization that attacks Israelis, while intentionally endangering its residents to protect its leadership," the IDF said.
Hamas is a terror group no different from the Islamic State, which both use mayhem to attain their objective of replacing civilized existence with a fundamental Islamic empire.
