The hostages have come home but the war is not over. Despite the glowing speech of President Donald Trump from the Knesset floor on the eve of Simchat Torah, exactly two years since those hostages were seized by Hamas terrorists in the most brutal massacre in Israel’s history, there is no peace in the Middle East. And time will tell if we are actually on the road to peace.
Let’s take stock of the most recent cease-fire agreement. Brokered by Trump, the agreement was indeed a watershed event in that it harnessed some of the most hostile Arab countries as partners to the agreement, notably Qatar and Turkey. They had agreed to ensure that Hamas did its part: lay down their weapons, release all the hostages, dead and alive, and destroy the immense terrorist infrastructure they had built over the years. The agreement also included the exclusion of Hamas from any future political or military leadership in Gaza.
Most Israelis did not believe the agreement would last but supported the agreement as a way to get our hostages home. There is also broad Israeli consensus that Israel must respond forcefully and immediately to any breach of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has built so much of its strategy over the years on testing Israel and whittling away its deterrence, slowly but surely. For example, a number of years ago, after one such cease-fire, the IDF made it very clear that any approach to the fence surrounding Gaza would result in live fire and the immediate attack on any Gazans approaching that fence. So Hamas sent civilians, women and children to the fence, testing the Israel’s resolve to attack. When the IDF did not attack, they went further, sending over fire balloons to set vast areas of Israel on fire. But since no Israelis were killed in these attacks, just hundreds of acres of agricultural fields burned, again, the IDF hesitated and did not attack.
The result was October 7th. Even as Hamas terrorists were seen running maneuvers, the IDF and the Israeli government decided to avoid “provocation” and did nothing to stop it. When thousands of Hamas terrorists poured across the fence on the morning of October 7th, there was no deterrence and the IDF was woefully unprepared to deal with the attack.
It is clear, therefore, that if we are tolerant of the smallest breach of the ceasefire agreement, we will have started the slippery slope towards the restoration of Hamas as a powerful terrorist force against Israel We will be looking at another October 7th not far down the road. And that can never happen again.
Hamas breached the agreement within days. Israeli intelligence knew that Hamas was aware of the location of the vast majority of the bodies of the dead hostages and could have released them at the same time the live hostages were released. But since that amazing day of the live hostage release, Hamas has taken its time, releasing a few dead bodies at a time, over weeks. They have released bodies of Gazans instead of the Israeli hostages, trying to fool Israel. They have played with our nerves and caused horrible pain and suffering to the families.
They have also ventured across the yellow cease-fire line, opening fire on Israeli positions and killing three of our soldiers. Israel has responded to these violations of the ceasefire but has refrained from an overall attack that might restore deterrence. Israel continues to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza despite continued evidence that Hamas is taking control of a significant amount of this aid. Hamas is retaking control of Gaza. We have seen footage of Hamas terrorists murdering Gazan opponents of Hamas in the city squares. They are out there, wielding their evil power, threatening anyone who might resist Hamas influence.
Israel is being subjected to intense international pressure, most notably from our most important ally, the USA, not to respond too aggressively to the Hamas breaches. President Trump is committed to Israel but he is at least equally committed to the idea of a peace deal. He is eager to expand the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States and they are very opposed to any action on the part of Israel We are being asked to agree to an international peace-keeping force to be stationed in Gaza and to supervise the maintenance of the cease-fire while moving forward on Gaza rebuilding. But these nations have never been supportive of Israel, and Turkey and Qatar have been outright supporters of Hamas.
Much has been said about the chances for peace in the Middle East now that Syria’s Assad has been defeated, Hezbollah has been seriously weakened, Hamas is far from where it was on October 6th 2023, and Iran’s nuclear capability has been seriously hampered. Most of the Gulf States view Iran as an threat to their wellbeing and have been willing to cooperate with Israel to neutralize that threat. And many of these countries are seriously interested in advancing their countries to greater technological capabilities.
Yes, thanks in large part to Israel’s amazing successes in this terrible war, we are looking at new possibilities that could bring positive change to the region. But there remains a fundamental difference between Israel and our Arab neighbors, even the least violent of them. And it’s all about the value of human life. We have heard critics or Israel all over the world yelling and screaming about the poor Palestinians, accusing Israel of genocide and worse. But none of them really care about human life. None of them have supported welcoming Gazan refugees into their countries giving them a truly better life. And while Arab leaders have made noises in support of Palestinians, they have never done anything to improve the lives of these people.
Israel, on the other hand, values human life, every human life, more than any other nation on earth. When Israel refrained from attacking key Hamas locations in Gaza because the hostages were thought to be alive and imprisoned there, many of our allies could not understand what we were doing. Despite the accusations against Israel, in fact, Israel routinely warns its enemies of impending attacks to minimize civilian casualties. And so few of our friends abroad can understand the importance of returning dead bodies for burial in the holy soil of Israel. But it is very important to us.
And as thousands of Arab terrorists were released during these cease-fire / hostage release deals, we are terribly concerned for the lives of the people in Judea and Samaria – where I live. We agreed to the release to save the lives of our precious hostages, but we must remain vigilant in protecting the people who are most threatened by their return. And there is no doubt – they are all going to return to their terrorist activities – some already have!
This is who we are. We care. Every Israeli felt personally the pain and trauma of the attacks on October 7th – nearly every Israeli family had friends and relatives in danger, fighting the war, or friends and relatives who had been killed or held hostage. And more than anything else, we care about the future. This is not a chess game. These are people’s lives. We must do whatever is necessary to ensure that Hamas is destroyed, that our people are safe from the evil terrorists of Hamas and others in the Middle East. We must do whatever we can to ensure the people of Judea and Samaria are safe, that they have the emergency equipment they need to save lives!
We know that this battle may last many more years. We dare not trust vague promises of peace. The people of Israel and the IDF will always stand ready to protect our people. And while Netanyahu and our government may need to play the game of diplomacy, I hope and pray that they never lose sight of the holy mission entrusted in their hands – to protect the people of Israel. With God’s help. And with your help – with prayer and financial support for security protection. May God bless you richly.
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