Tipsheet

164 Days Later: Don't Forget About the Hamas Hostages

Guy Benson
Guy Benson  |  March 18, 2024 10:05 AM

I've just returned from Israel, where our small media delation received briefings, visited the borders of both Lebanon (controlled by Hezbollah) in the north, and Gaza (formerly controlled by Hamas) in the south.  It was a harrowing experience.  In the north, we wore flak jackets and helmets, and were instructed how to react in response to a close-range rocket attack.  Near Gaza, we visited a kibbutz that was overrun and turned into a killing field by terrorists on October 7th.  We also went to the site of the Nova music festival massacre, in which 364 innocent people were slaughtered.  With all the pro-Hamas rhetoric and agitation on social media and in the streets, it's imperative to remember that the terrorists started this war with an unprovoked slaughter of 1,200 civilians.  They used systemic rape as a weapon against Israeli women, as even an inquiry commissioned by the zealously anti-Israel United Nations confirmed.  But the lead investigator somehow spun her chilling findings into an attack on the victims' country, of course:

The U.N. envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict warned Israel on Monday that the finding of “clear and convincing information” that some hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel were subjected to sexual violence “does not in any way legitimize further hostilities.” “In fact, it creates a moral imperative for a humanitarian cease-fire to end the unspeakable suffering imposed on Palestinian civilians in Gaza and bring about the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Pramila Patten told the U.N. Security Council where Israel’s foreign minister was also sitting and listening. “Continuation of hostilities can, in no way, protect them,” she said. “It can only expose them to further risk of violence, including sexual violence. Patten was speaking at a council meeting sought by Israel and called by the United States, United Kingdom and France to focus on her recent report, which also found “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, sexualized torture, and other cruel and inhumane acts against women during the Oct. 7 attackthat killed about 1,200 people and led to 250 others being taken hostage.

This person established evidence that Hamas terrorists raped and sexually tortured the victims that they didn't immediately butcher on sight -- but then editorialized that these findings "do not legitimize" Israel's military response. Yes, they do, actually. And yes, the "continuation of hostilities" can, in fact, protect Israeli women. Israel decisively winning the war and crushing Hamas can pressure the terrorists to make a hostage-release deal that is more favorable, just as the act of destroying the genocidal terrorist organization (whose leaders vow to endlessly repeat their bloodshed until the Jews are eliminated) helps protect future potential victims from similar predations. Leave it to the worse-than-useless UN to effectively say, 'yes your women were ritually raped, but stop doing anything about it.' What is particularly chilling is the thought of what is happening to the dozens of hostages who remain in Gaza. We attended a weekly rally at 'Hostage Square' in the heart of Tel Aviv on Saturday night. We listened to various speakers, including the German ambassador, and met with family members and friends of people who were kidnapped. The experience was gut-wrenching:


Some of this is simply unbearable to think about, but Americans must think about it -- at least on behalf of the five US citizens who may still be alive in the illegitimate custody of Hamas.  Don't forget about them. Our government can and should do more to pressure Qatar's Hamas-harboring regime to turn up the heat on the terrorists.  Speaking with these heartbroken people also reminded me how utterly psychotic and evil it is for Hamas supporters to rip down hostage posters, as was a trendy act of deep sickness a few months ago.  Amid some interesting and newsworthy Palestinian in-fighting, and possibly great news about the apparent liquidation of a top terrorist by the IDF, I'll leave you with depraved Hamas supporters and sympathizers (activists and journalists alike) doing what they do:


Finish them:


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