Does anyone really trust Hamas? I mean, really trust Hamas? Sure, if you’re a member of the Squad or part of the pro-Palestinian radical left, you probably do, but I can’t think of a reason why anyone should trust these terrorists who clearly have no problem slaughtering innocent people, including women, children, and even babies.
On Friday we learned that Hamas had released two American hostages, a mother and daughter who were captured during the original October 7 attack. The release was the result of negotiations between Qatar and Hamas, and it was largely seen as great news.
“Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7. Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,” Joe Biden said in a statement. “These individuals and their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.”
Related: Hamas Releases Two American Hostages, White House Responds
But what exactly is Hamas up to? This terrorist organization doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being humanitarian. They did murder 1,400 innocent people, after all, including children. What’s the play here?
According to Richard Goldberg of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), this is part of a bigger strategy by Hamas.
“Hamas, Qatar, and Iran can keep playing this game at great emotional distress for everyone and ultimately at America and Israel’s expense. The approach we are taking letting Hamas and Iran call the shots with Qatar playing the hero is not sustainable,” he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We yearn for all hostages to be freed & celebrate every life not lost. But understand the horrific game Hamas, Iran & Qatar are playing. Their inhumanity preys on our humanity. And their aim is to leverage our humanity to survive to another day when they slaughter thousands more,” he added. “Why do we think Hamas thanks Qatar in its statement? Qatar is facing massive pressure and threat of losing all status in the international community. It costs Hamas nothing to give up 2 hostages. It gains Qatar everything. We cannot continue with this charade.”
Joe Truzman, a research analyst at FDD, agrees. “This [is] a decision made by Hamas’ leadership because it favors them and delays a ground assault,” he says. “They aren’t doing it because they grew conscious. You don’t kidnap children, murder their parents and burn people, and then become a humanitarian.”
Stop with this messaging. This a decision made by Hamas' leadership because it favors them and delays a ground assault. They aren't doing it because they grew conscious. You don't kidnap children, murder their parents and burn people, and then become a humanitarian. https://t.co/cKaXhA2IFs
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 20, 2023
There are still more than 200 hostages left, including Americans, and we cannot let Hamas play these games. We must take a strong stance, and we cannot be fooled by this “humanitarian” gesture. According to Goldberg, “We should be issuing a deadline for all hostages to be released unconditionally. Failure to meet the deadline opens up economic and political measures targeting Qatar and Turkey and ‘other’ measures targeting Hamas agents on their soil.”
The question is, is the Biden administration falling for it, or do they know they’re being played?
