Because of the Hostages

I recently heard someone justify their support for the American-Israeli genocide in Gaza, claiming it was “because of the hostages.” The facts in no way support this assertion. All the hostages could have been freed within days of October 7th. It is well known that Hamas’ plan was to target Israeli military posts, not civilians, abduct as many high-value Israeli soldiers as possible, and exchange them for thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. As it has for years, Israel demonized Hamas, asserting that their motive was only to kill Jews and create terror in Israel. But Hamas’ plan was not nihilistic terrorism. It was a rational strategy based on historical precedent.

Recall that in 2011, Hamas and Israel exchanged prisoners – Hamas released captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. In exchange, Israel released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas believed another hostage deal was possible. In October 2023, there were over 6,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and torture camps, many of them political prisoners or held in indefinite detention without charge. Hamas was deeply concerned about them, particularly the women and children, and the brutal abuse they were enduring. They undertook desperate measures to gain the leverage they believed was necessary to win their freedom. As we know, the original plan spiraled out of control, for many reasons, including the Israeli military invoking the Hannibal Directive, which authorized the Israeli military to use all available means to prevent the capture of Israelis, including killing them (an estimated 250 Israelis were killed by Israeli firepower). Hamas kidnapped @250 Israelis, many of them civilians, and held them as hostages - a war crime under international law. My point is not to justify the tragic violence that unfolded on October 7th, but simply to state that Hamas acted on behalf of their imprisoned compatriots, hoping for a hostage deal they had good reason to believe might work.

The hostage families and Israeli society, for their part, were laser-focused on the release of their loved ones. Naturally, they exerted intense pressure on the Israeli government to secure the hostages’ release. Both sides could have settled on this exchange. Israel could have freed all the hostages in October 2023. The proof of this possibility was the hostage deal brokered by Qatar in November 2023. Recall that on November 22, 2023, Hamas and Israel agreed to a 4-day ceasefire. Hamas released 50 women and children held hostage in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The freedom and safety of the rest of the hostages – and thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails - was within reach. What was required was that Israel, the US, and Hamas build on the success and trust-building of the November 22 hostage deal. I remember allowing myself to feel hopeful that nonviolent solutions might yet prevail, that a return to mass murder and wanton destruction could still be avoided.

Instead, Israel resumed its intense bombardment of Gaza. The endless supply of American weapons ensured that the Israeli assault would be relentless. It became painfully clear that Netanyahu’s priority was not the freedom and the safety of the hostages. He was hell-bent on turning Gaza into a wasteland unfit for human habitation. All along, the Israeli plan was to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip of most of the Palestinians, and steal and occupy more of their land. The long-term occupation of Gaza is now underway, only it is an American-run occupation, and it is Trump and his oligarch friends who will profit from its redevelopment, not Israel.