No hostage deal? Then war is the only option.

Guess what? Israeli lives matter, too.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir (center) with his soldiers (photo: IDF/X)

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I remember the morning of October 7th like a slow-motion nightmare.

I woke up in Tel Aviv that Saturday morning to friends and family sending frantic messages, trying to confirm that loved ones were safe.

The news kept getting worse. Entire families slaughtered. Women, children, the elderly, and even a Holocaust survivor taken hostage. Celebrations of murder broadcast by Palestinian terrorists and their sympathizers across the world.

The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. Then came the rage — not just at the terrorists who carried out the attack, but at the realization that, if left unchecked, this could happen again.

On October 7th, Hamas shattered any illusion of coexistence by perpetrating the single deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The systematic brutality — murder, rape, and hostage-taking — was not merely an act of terror; it was a declaration of war.

In the wake of this atrocity, Israel’s duty is not only to rescue its citizens but to ensure that Hamas can never repeat such horrors.

Now, as negotiations for a hostage deal have failed and fighting resumes, the only moral and strategic course for Israel is to pursue total victory over Hamas. There is no moral justification for letting a terror organization survive after committing such atrocities.

Any ceasefire that leaves Hamas intact would be an admission that October 7th was a price Israel is willing to pay again in the future. But we know it isn’t. We cannot let quiet return while 59 Israelis remain in captivity, and the enemy that took them remains capable of striking again.

The international community pressures Israel toward a ceasefire, often invoking the humanitarian suffering in Gaza. Yet history proves that temporary truces only allow Hamas to rearm, rebuild, and prepare for its next attack. “Quiet” under these circumstances is not peace; it is an illusion that leaves Hamas intact and Israeli civilians in perpetual danger.

In every previous round of conflict, Israel has stopped short of dismantling Hamas, only for the terror group to use lulls in fighting to smuggle weapons, manufacture rockets, expand its tunnel networks, and turn civilian infrastructure like schools and hospitals into a jihadist fortress. The moment Israel steps back, Hamas will exploit the pause to regroup and attack again, with even deadlier force.

A ceasefire without the release of the hostages would be a betrayal of those kidnapped, their families, the fallen soldiers and their families, and Israel’s fundamental commitment to protecting its citizens. If Hamas sees that hostage-taking leads to political leverage and international sympathy, then this tactic will not only continue; it will become the cornerstone of their strategy. The choice for Israel is clear: Either uproot Hamas now or face an endless cycle of terror and bloodshed.

Some argue that continuing the war increases civilian casualties in Gaza. This concern, while real, ignores the responsibility Hamas bears for embedding itself within civilian areas and using Palestinian non-combatants as human shields. Hamas does not prioritize Palestinian lives; its leadership hides in underground bunkers while ordinary Gazans suffer above ground. The true path to long-term stability for both Israelis and Palestinians lies in eliminating Hamas entirely.

Moreover, if Hamas is allowed to survive, Israel will not be the only victim. Iran and its regional terror proxies — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad — are watching closely. If Hamas emerges intact, these groups will be emboldened to escalate their own attacks, knowing that terrorism yields results. Israel’s struggle is not only for its own security, but for setting a precedent: terrorism must not be rewarded.

Most Israelis across the socio-political spectrum do not seek war for war’s sake. But if Hamas refuses to release hostages and remains committed to Israel’s destruction, then continuing the military campaign is not just justified; it is necessary. Every day that Hamas remains operational is another day that Israeli families live in fear, another day that hostages remain in captivity, and another day that Iran’s terror network gains confidence.

Without a hostage deal, the alternative to war is not peace; it is more October 7th-style attacks. Quiet without victory is an illusion, and illusions do not protect Israeli lives. Guess what? Israeli lives matter, too.

If Hamas insists on war, then war must continue until the threat is eradicated. Only then can Israel, and ultimately the region, move toward a true and lasting peace.

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The gaslighting is unhinged at this point.

Hamas has called on “friendly countries” to pressure the U.S. government into halting its ally Israel’s renewed airstrikes on Gaza. Really? A terrorist organization that fundamentally views non-Muslims as “infidels” is asking others to be “friendly”?

This is the same Hamas whose charter explicitly calls for the extermination of Jews, whose leaders hide in luxury in Qatar, Lebanon, and Turkey while ordering civilians to act as human shields, and whose fighters commit unspeakable atrocities against innocent people. Yet the world continues to treat Hamas as a legitimate negotiating partner, rather than the genocidal death cult it is.

To make matters worse, a senior Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries told the Times of Israel that “political considerations” are what led Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the ceasefire with Hamas.

Political considerations?

As if Israel should tolerate the continued captivity of its citizens and the looming threat of another massacre just to maintain international approval? What “political considerations” would be acceptable if it were Americans or Europeans held hostage? Would any world leader be expected to sit idly by while their people were brutalized and used as bargaining chips by terrorists?

The hypocrisy is staggering.

And, oh by the way, of course there are “political considerations” involved here — political considerations for every single country and entity involved in this matter, including the one that this senior Arab diplomat represents. Every nation that has weighed in on this war has done so based on its own interests, whether it be regional stability, relations with the U.S., or keeping its own population from sympathizing too openly with Hamas.

Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ leadership, has political considerations. Egypt, which historically controls the Rafah border crossing, has political considerations. The U.S., the European Union, and even the United Nations, World Central Kitchen, and the International Red Cross have political considerations. The idea that only Israel’s decisions are driven by politics while everyone else acts out of pure morality is laughable.

But here’s the difference: Israel’s political considerations aren’t about appeasing an angry public, maintaining a diplomatic façade, or playing the long game of Middle East power dynamics. Israel’s political considerations are about something far more fundamental — survival.

The hostages are not statistics; they are humans. The war is not some geopolitical chess move; it is a necessity to prevent another October 7th. No other country in the world would be expected to negotiate with those who raped, butchered, and kidnapped their people. No other country would be shamed for prioritizing its own survival.

And, with the appropriate resumption of the war in Gaza during the last 24 hours, Israel will not be the first.

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