Tuesday’s attack that targeted the senior remaining Hamas command, who have been seeking refuge in Doha, Qatar, for years, was a long time coming and may just have positioned itself as a game-changing operation, giving Israel the upper hand in the war against Hamas.
However, such a hit provides so much momentum that must be exploited, not wasted away, to free the remaining 48 hostages, both the living and dead, and to finally close the circle on the greatest tragedy to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Israel’s next move has to be correct because the diplomatic price Jerusalem paid for this attack won’t be able to be retrieved.
The proposals that have been on the table for the past few months and leaning into last year fell because of a different factor each time. It is not far-fetched to assume that Hamas would’ve refused the offer on the table before Tuesday. Israel accepted US President Donald Trump’s plan, which he called a “last warning” to Hamas.
The principles called for Hamas to immediately release all of the hostages, for Israel to halt its assault on Gaza City, and for both sides to begin negotiations for a widespread plan to bring the war to an end. All fighting would be paused while negotiations were underway.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called it a “true breakthrough” and called on the Israeli government to declare unequivocal support for the deal.
The Israeli position, headed by Netanyahu, changed sharply from being open to a partial deal to being open only to a comprehensive one.
What this move may do is isolate Hamas even more and take advantage of its disorganized state to force it to accept the full terms of the deal without dragging it out again or dragging its feet, endangering and possibly killing hostages, or being the trigger to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Support for the attack came from across the political spectrum in Israel, including opposition head Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), who qualified his congratulations with a request for an explanation as to how this move would secure the safety of the hostages.
Even President Isaac Herzog, in an apolitical position, called the strike “important and correct.
Let us not forget that Khalil al-Hayya is a murderous terrorist with the blood of thousands on his hands and was one of the architects of the October 7 massacre attack, alongside his colleagues.” He added that this particular group that was struck “is who challenged, again and again, compromise proposals on the deal to free the hostages.
Before this complete evil, there is only to fight with determination and resolve” to bring the hostages home and create a better regional future for everybody.
This was the right move, and the next steps must be carefully calculated to get Israel the result it wants: the return of all of the hostages – to life and to burial – and the removal of the threat at our border.
Hostages families responded with dismay to Qatar strike
However, as with everything, this decision is nuanced and carries varying effects for all those involved. Chiefly involved are the hostage families, who responded with dismay and an intense amount of fear.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described “deep concern and heavy anxiety. A grave fear now hangs over the price that the hostages may pay. We know from the survivors who have returned that the revenge directed at the hostages is brutal.”
As Israel presses on in its fight against an evil axis set upon its destruction, it must not forget what it is fighting for: its children.