During its Oct. 7 terror invasion of Israel, Hamas took more than 250 hostages of every age, sex, and nationality. Around 130 hostages remain in secret locations in the Gaza Strip — or do they?
It's a sad thing to have to conclude. But given recent political developments and actions on the ground in Gaza, it seems certain that most or perhaps all of the hostages are dead. They include, or perhaps I should say, included six Americans.
Late Monday, Hamas rejected Israel's generous offer of releasing "as many as 800 prisoners, including 100 inmates convicted of murder," in exchange for just 40 hostages. Hamas rejected the offer, even after getting political cover provided by the Biden administration's shameful abstention in Monday's UN vote to demand a ceasefire that didn't include the return of any hostages.
In response — and obvious frustration — Israel on Tuesday recalled its negotiators from Qatar where the talks with Hamas were being held. In a statement, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas’s decision is “clear proof it is not interested in continuing talks and a sad testament to the damage caused by the UN Security Council resolution."
Indeed. But why would Hamas give up the chance to get back hundreds of its own, plus a ceasefire long enough to rebuild its defenses?
There are two possibilities, and they aren't mutually exclusive.
The first is that by rejecting another ceasefire offer, Hamas — and more importantly, its sponsors in Tehran — continues to sow political confusion in the West. The antisemites infesting the media, education, and the Biden administration (plus a few losers on the Right), have more opportunities to stake their claim over American public opinion and this country's proud tradition of supporting freedom in the Middle East.
The second is that Hamas has few or no living hostages left to trade. Through abuse, neglect, or just Hamas terrorists getting its thrills, the hostages might all be dead.
(There's actually a third possibility. Hamas just likes killing Jews and, the longer the war drags on, the more Jews it can murder. But even if that's the case, again, the other two can still be true.)
That brings us to David Bernstein, who posted on Twitter/X on Monday, "Unfortunately, I think a subtext for what's been going on is that Israel has concluded that a large % of the hostages are dead, either murdered on 10/7 or thereafter." Going further, Bernstein looked at the recent fighting at Sifah and concluded that the IDF raid was meant to gather "intelligence on who remains alive and where they might be, before any Rafah incursion and any further hostage negotiations. Which is why Israel took pains to capture the terrorists instead of kill them."
Jerusalem has almost certainly come to the same conclusion that I have — that most or even all of the hostages are dead and that Hamas has no more bloody bargaining chips to play.
When — if? — the order comes down to the IDF to sweep Rafah, you couldn't blame those soldiers for adopting a take-no-prisoners attitude if it turns out Hamas has murdered all of theirs.
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