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The Future of Hamas after October 7

(Times of Israel) Gershon Baskin - I have negotiated with Hamas, on and off, since 2006. Most of the time I did this without official backing, while also always informing officials in Israel what I was doing. For years I believed that it was possible to negotiate a long-term ceasefire agreement with Hamas. For the past eight years I have spent hundreds of hours in talks trying to bring home the bodies of Israeli soldiers killed in 2014 in Gaza - Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin - as well as the living Israeli civilians Avera Mengisto and Hisham A-Sayed. The bottom line is that the deal never happened because Hamas demanded that Israel release several hundred prisoners including Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. There is no legitimacy whatsoever for what Hamas and others did inside Israel on Oct. 7. These were inhuman, inexcusable crimes that will never be forgotten or forgiven. Hamas has forfeited its right to exist as a government of any territory and especially the territory next to Israel. Hamas behaved like ISIS in their attack against Israel, and Hamas now fully deserves the determination of Israel to eliminate them as the political and military body that controls Gaza. Israel cannot create deterrence against Hamas. Not only are Hamas fighters and leaders not afraid to die, they recruit Hamas fighters from early ages from bereaved families immediately after each round of conflict. They are then educated in the (distorted) Islamic values of dying for Palestine, for Allah, for Islam, for Al-Aqsa and to get revenge for the death of their family member. They truly believe that life only has true meaning if you become a martyr - the guarantee of eternal paradise.
2023-11-03 00:00:00
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