It is time for Israel, to demonstrate its real power against Hamas. Jerusalem’s firm stance on eradicating this ISIS-like terrorist entity will send a clear message to all destabilizing players in the region.
October 7 will forever be remembered as the Jewish people’s darkest day since the Holocaust. Hamas’ sophisticated mass terror assault, in which it fired thousands of rockets into Israel’s major cities and launched cross-border attacks with drones, motorized paragliders and pickup trucks, left 1,400 Israelis dead – so far.
Hamas terrorists first eliminated the unprepared Israeli army and then conducted a brutal, premeditated massacre against unarmed Israeli citizens – babies, children, and the elderly. Just like ISIS, Hamas terrorists beheaded their victims and burnt them alive. They did not hesitate to rape Israeli women and parade them naked through the streets of Gaza.
At the same time, Hamas has continued to fire rockets at Israeli civilians. As we all know, it is the Israeli government that has always been accused of being the culprit of the confrontation with Hamas. Jerusalem was held accountable for the violence because of its so-called occupation of Gaza. However, it is time to remember that Israel withdrew from Gaza many years ago. The unilateral Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005 did not bring peace to Israel but instead more frequent and longer-range rocket attacks against Israel’s citizens.
Bearing in mind all the above, Hamas’ barbaric atrocity, which went far beyond the accepted norms of war, revealed the true face of this murderous organization to the entire civilized world.
Consequently, today, unlike in previous wars, Israel enjoys the unprecedented support of the international community. Considering this, Israel has a historic opportunity to eradicate Hamas from Gaza for good.
In the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, all elements of the axis of evil in the region – Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and even the Houthis in Yemen – are watching Israel’s response. Israel must show the whole Middle East that conducting such a massacre against the Jewish state will result in the total destruction of the responsible entity. If Israel fails to do so, the abovementioned destructive forces may seek to imitate Hamas and most likely will conduct similar atrocities against Israeli civilians.
In the Middle East, the weak never survive. Therefore, Israel must restore its deterrence immediately. It is time for Israel, to demonstrate its real power against Hamas. Jerusalem’s firm stance on eradicating this ISIS-like terrorist entity will send a clear message to all destabilizing players in the region.
It is exactly this that the saying “Never Again,” which is mentioned every year in Holocaust commemoration ceremonies, refers to. Israel must and will let Hamas and the world know: The Jews are no longer sheep to the slaughter. The perpetrators of this crime will pay the ultimate price.
JISS Policy Papers are published through the generosity of the Greg Rosshandler Family.
Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire / Koby Gideon / Israel GPO
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