Hamas viciously murdered six Israeli hostages in a tunnel underneath Gaza. The Iranian-backed terrorists executed each of them with bullets to the back of their heads because the Israeli Defense Forces were closing in on their position. Hamas terrorists likely assumed that the killings could be exploited to apply pressure on Israel. On the other hand, a successful hostage rescue could encourage more Israeli operations against Hamas.
This perverse public-relations strategy appears to work because many world leaders and international organizations are blaming Israel for the deaths of its own citizens. The latest killings have dramatically intensified demands on the Jewish state to give in to Hamas in negotiations to reach a ceasefire.
Psychological warfare
The Hamas executions have forced most Israelis to relive the horrific trauma of the Oct. 7 massacre. An autopsy revealed that Hersh, Carmel, Alex, Eden, Or and Almog were shot multiple times at close range two to three days before their bodies were discovered by Israeli soldiers. The IDF also recently recovered the body of a soldier killed on Oct. 7 whose remains were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
Hamas is leveraging the latest murders to drive its propaganda through many world leaders, journalists, university students and social-media influencers—playing right into the Hamas agenda. The Iranian terror proxy has used Israeli hostages to wage psychological warfare against Israelis and demanded outrageous concessions that would not be expected of any other country. The cold-blooded terrorists even recorded scripted messages from each of the six hostages before slaughtering them and then blamed their deaths on lies about Israel’s unwillingness to agree to ceasefire terms that benefit Hamas.
Former hostage Moran Stela Yanai said “it’s part of the psychological games they play with us. They don’t just toy with us; they toy with our families. It doesn’t end with ‘we murdered people, we took people, and we left.’ They continue to abuse us and continue to torment our families.”
The heartbreaking recordings included American Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, who became symbolic of the plight faced by all of the hostages and their families. He appears in the video with his left arm amputated to the elbow, blown off by a grenade attack in the bomb shelter he was hiding in when it was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. His parents recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to chants: “Bring them home!” American-Israeli Omer Neutra, 22, was born on Long Island, N.Y., and grew up as a Knicks fan. His parents spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Days after the grim news about the hostages, the U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against six Hamas leaders for the Oct. 7 atrocities.
‘Bring them home now’
There is a legitimate, complex and heartbreaking debate in Israel between rescuing the remaining hostages and disarming Hamas so it can never repeat the events of Oct. 7—a vow that its terrorist masterminds have sworn to do. Israeli leaders find themselves in an impossible situation, facing calls to reach a ceasefire deal that returns handfuls of hostages in phases through the exchange of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, likely leaving Gaza in the hands of Hamas. One Hamas condition would demand that Israeli forces relinquish control of the Philadelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt, where the IDF uncovered 150 tunnels extending over the border that were used by Hamas to smuggle tons of weapons into Gaza.
Hamas has a history of kidnapping Israelis and exploiting the emotions of Israelis to accept lopsided deals. Terrorists used a tunnel dug under the Israeli border with Gaza to kidnap Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006. He was held in captivity for more than five years before his life was exchanged for 1,027 Palestinian terrorists, including 280 serving life sentences. This included Yahya Sinwar, the current senior leader of Hamas and the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
Many Israelis feel a deep connection to each other based, in part, on the Jewish value of pidyon shvuyim, “redemption of the captives,” and the value derived from the ethics of military service to never leave anyone behind. The Jewish state is a democratic and free society. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis continue to protest against the government in the streets—an example of the Middle East’s only democracy—but others fear that a ceasefire agreement that allows Hamas to retain power will lead to a future war that will cause more death, destruction and abductions. The Hamas charter clearly states that the Palestinian terror has one primary mission: to destroy Israel and murder all Jews, making a two-state solution impossible.
New York City rally: ‘Hersh deserved to die’
No more than 24 hours after the tragic news about the hostage murders, several anti-Israel and anti-America organizations led a Labor Day rally on the streets of New York City in support of Hamas. The lead organizer was Within Our Lifetime, a New York-based group led by co-founder Nerdeen Kiswani. She rose to prominence after her classmates selected her to give the commencement speech—virulently anti-Jewish—to the 2022 graduating class at City University of New York’s School of Law. At a rally in 2021, she stated: “I hope that pop-pop is the last noise that some Zionists hear in their lifetime!” The group is dedicated to eradicating the Jewish state.
The all-too-common chants were shouted through the streets: “Globalize the intifada” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” These are overt calls for violent attacks around the world and the destruction of Israel. Flags of several Iranian-backed terrorist organizations that killed and continue to target Americans were proudly displayed.
A man driving a car covered in Palestinian flags declared that the American Israeli hostage Hersh “deserved to die” and that “Israel killed him.” Many others spread lies and Hamas propaganda online.
Testimonies of former hostages: ‘I don’t want my dad to be next’
Days after the six hostages were murdered, former hostage Erez Calderon, 12, posted a video plea for his captive dad’s return: “Imagine how I felt when I was separated from my father when he was all covered in blood from the blows the terrorists gave him. It’s a moment that never leaves me. How can I celebrate my bar mitzvah in two months when my father is in Gaza? Yesterday I heard that terrorists murdered six hostages. I can’t stop thinking, I don’t want my dad to be next.”
The shock many Israelis experienced after hearing about the fate of the hostages was a stark reversal from their jubilation only a few days earlier when the IDF rescued Farhan al-Qadi, a 52-year-old Arab Bedouin father of 11 who lives in Israel. He was kept in complete darkness: “It was pitch black, and I would put my hands over my eyes to make sure I could still see, it was that dark.”
He was abandoned by his captors two weeks before his rescue, but not before Hamas terrorists rigged the tunnel with explosives to prevent him from escaping.
Farhan’s kidnappers shot him in the leg when he refused to tell them where there were Jews; he was operated on without sedation. For the first few weeks, he was kept in a hospital with Aryeh Zalmanovich, 86. He says they formed a “special bond.” Hamas killed Aryeh in the hospital while he was next to Farhan.
Points to consider:
- Hamas is solely responsible for murdering the Israeli hostages.
A Hamas leader recently instructed Palestinian terrorists to resume suicide bombings and the terror group specifically instructed its guards to kill any hostages if the IDF was closing in. This directive was issued after Israel successfully rescued four hostages from Palestinian homes in June. These examples demonstrate Hamas’s commitment to depravity and cruelty. The execution of these hostages is not isolated; it’s part of a broader campaign of violence Hamas leverages to further its agenda. These acts are intentional, calculated moves designed to pressure Israel and manipulate global opinion in favor of its extremist goals.
- World leaders repeatedly apply double standards to Israel.
Israel’s prime minister: “We’re asked to make concessions? What message does this send Hamas? It says, kill more hostages. Murder more hostages, and you will get more concessions. The pressure internationally must be directed at these killers! At Hamas. Not at Israel.”
Hamas terrorists intentionally executed six innocent civilians in cold blood. As Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said: “Who gets blamed? Everyone but Hamas.”
Many world leaders and organizations applied a persistent and dangerous double standard. They shifted their blame from the perpetrator to the victim, condemning Israel. Echoing Hamas propaganda emboldens the Iran-backed terror group to abduct more hostages. This bias undermines Israel’s fundamental right to defend its citizens. Americans weren’t blamed for the 9/11 attacks. Why is it so hard for leaders to condemn these brutal murders? The only crime these young adults committed was attending a music festival. Hamas leaders must be held accountable and the terror group destroyed.
- Hamas barbarians are no different than ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Hamas terrorists operate with the same brutal ideology as the world’s most lethal terror groups that have targeted Americans. The executions of hostages, the intentional targeting of civilians and the use of terrorism all align Hamas with these barbaric organizations. Just as the world united against ISIS and Al-Qaeda, leaders must recognize the true nature of Hamas and reject its attempts to mask terrorism as “resistance.” Hamas is not interested in partnering with Israel for a two-state solution, its stated goal is a “final solution” to destroy Israel and kill Jews.
- Hamas exploits every opportunity to damage Israel’s image.
Hamas has a clear, calculated strategy: Cast Israel as the aggressor while downplaying its own terror crimes—a devious publicity stunt with damaging, long-term ramifications for both Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas still stores weapons in schools, mosques and hospitals; launches attacks from civilian areas; and builds a vast network of underground tunnels. And then blames Israel for all resulting casualties. This strategy is not limited to Gaza; Hamas also manipulates media narratives and international sentiment to vilify Israel. It sacrifices its own citizens, manipulates journalists, and uses social media to spread lies and garner sympathy while inciting violence around the world. The terror group exploits every opportunity to advance its destructive agenda: to destroy the Jewish state rather than build a prosperous Palestinian state in Gaza.
