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By Douglas V. Gibbs

On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian and Iran-backed militant groups launched coordinated attacks from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.  The massacre was the first time since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War that Israel had been invaded in such a massive way.  The attacks began with a barrage of more than 4,300 rockets, and was immediately accompanied by a breach of Israel’s border (who many believe was achieved with help from Iran, Russia and China resulting in the hacking of the Israeli border-defense system) to allow vehicle-transported and powered paraglider incursions into Israel.  After than, Hamas terrorists breached the Gaza–Israel barrier and began attacking military bases and mercilessly massacring Israeli civilians in 21 communities.

The bloody and devastating attacks coincided with the Jewish religious holiday Simchat Torah and initiated an expected response by Israel that anti-Israel voices have criticized calling Israel’s response “genocide” and a “Zionist war crime.”

The Biden Administration, while claiming to support Israel, has presented numerous obstacles against Israel in the hopes of appeasing the anti-Israel wing of the Democratic Party.  America’s weakness and unwillingness to give Israel adequate support has left Israel to fight the war to eliminate the terrorist organization, Hamas, from Gaza. 

Calls for a cease-fire have constantly risen during the war, a shallow call that really is intended to force Israel to stop fighting so as to allow Hamas and their Islamic allies to regroup and reload.

The election of President Trump and his threat to release “holy hell” against Hamas in the Middle East if they didn’t cease war operations and release hostages has ultimately encouraged the terrorist organization to come to the negotiation table.

A ceasefire has tentatively been reached, but in Israel the approval of the agreement with Hamas has been delayed, largely because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that the terrorist organization has reneged on parts of the deal.

“Hamas is reneging on the understandings and creating a last-minute crisis that is preventing an agreement,” a statement from the prime minister’s office read. “The Israeli Cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”

Another statement elaborated that the problem was “a last-minute attempt by Hamas to withdraw from a clause in the agreement that grants Israel veto power over the release of mass murderers who are symbols of terrorism.” It said Hamas was “demanding to dictate the identity of these murderers.”

Political debate has also emerged claiming that the delay represents an appeasement of Netanyahu’s more conservative allies who have threatened to resign if the deal is approved. Their resignations, it is believed by government officials in Jerusalem, would precipitate a collapse of the Israeli government.  Those who stand against the agreement states they don’t believe a true agreement is possible, and they want Israel to continue the war until Hamas is neutralized.

The ceasefire deal would pause fighting for six weeks and open negotiations to end the war altogether. Over those six weeks, 33 hostages would be required to be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.  The agreement would also allow “civilian” Palestinians to return to zones occupied by Israel, and open the door for humanitarian aid to flow freely into the region (even though any aid that shows up is typically hijacked by Hamas and is used for the terrorists, not the people).

Israel estimates that 30 of nearly 100 remaining hostages are dead, with some U.S. and Israeli officials indicating they believe the true number of those dead to be much higher, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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