“No one has an idea” of how many hostages in Gaza are alive, a Hamas official said.
While Israel has an extensive list of hostages, Hamas has never made such a list or provided one. It occasionally released selected hostage videos or claimed that one or another hostage was deceased. Truthfully or not. The actual list of hostages, most people have concluded, is a lot smaller.
Every terrible ceasefire proposal on Israel’s side still requires Hamas to produce a list o hostages. And Hamas generally replies by offering to trade terrorists for hostages or their bodies.
And every time it’s asked about the hostages, Hamas claims not to know.
“No one has an idea” of how many of the remaining 120 hostages in Gaza are still alive, Hamas official Osama Hamdan, currently based in Lebanon, admitted in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
“I don’t have any idea about that,” he told CNN from a Beirut office. “No one has an idea about this.”
Hamas knows but it prefers strategic ambiguity because the hostages are the only possible lever that can save it. The Biden administration and elements of the Israeli Left are obsessed with saving Hamas. But the only stated reason that elements of the Israeli political system would agree to suspend the war would be to save the hostages. Without hostages, there is only the cold brute reality of Oct 7.
Ending the war to save 100+ hostages and ending the war to save 31, 19 or 8 hostages plays differently.
The real question is how many Israelis have to die or be taken hostage next time around. That’s why making the war about the hostages was always a mistake.
You don’t fight a war to get back hostages, you fight it to keep hostages from being taken.
The existence of the hostages allowed Hamas and its useful idiots, including in Jerusalem, to play a game in which once again anything is acceptable in exchange for getting them back.
Hamas has already said that it will carry out Oct 7 over and over again.
The real question is not how many Hamas terrorists can be released per hostage, but how many Oct 7s can be perpetrated per hostage.
MD Anthony says
If the war is not about permanently ending Hamas ability to take hostages then the war is a waste of time.
somehistory says
In an *ordinary* kidnapping crime, the criminals take the victim, usually kill the victim, but still demand a ransom for the return of the victim, supposedly still alive.
The families pressure the government …police, FBI…to ‘do something’ to get their loved ones home again…believing the victims are still living. They gather the money and agree on every phone call to do “whatever you want” to appease the criminals.
It has not been any different in this case, except that other governments have become involved, from the get-go, pressuring Israel to do whatever it takes…whatever hamas demands…to get the victims home.
hamas is holding the cards by pretending that many victims are still among the living and knowing that no government has come out on the side of Israel to say don’t allow hamas to call the shots.
The ‘ransom’ in this case….terrorists being released to rejoin the regrouping and continued abilities of hamas to keep murdering and taking more hostages for the next time around.
rubiconcrest says
Hamas does not have a hostage list?
So the jihadist’s ‘hostages’ were merely spoils from war not part of any overall strategy. That certainly fits the Islamic model of war and spreading terror.
Does anyone in Washington appreciate what this means?
Tony Rice says
What HAMAS did on Oct. 7th and subsequently is nothing other than evil of the nth degree, all in the worship of their god ALLAH. MAKES ONE WONDER RE THE TRUE NATURE OF ALLAH himself
Walter Sieruk says
In an earlier jihadwatch article it was revealed that “Now the four hostages just rescued have their own tales of mistreatment — deliberate starvation, psychological torture (including forced readings of the Qur’an), beatings, and sexual assault” Even outright rape.
For the horrible reality is that taking into account the brutal cruel vicious horrendously evil Islamic character of the jihadists of Hamas, many of those hostages who had been kidnapped had also been murdered.
Such horrific treatment of those hostages is of no surprise when taking into account the demonic brutal cruel religion that Hamas has its foundation on, which of course is Islam, Surah 5:33. 9:123.
For there is absolutely no limits to the vile, heinous horrifically murderous wickedness that the jihadists of Hamas had committed and will continue to commit because of because of their demonic and malice-filled religion that is Islam.
Walter Sieruk says
In an earlier jihadwatch article it was revealed that “Now the four hostages just rescued have their own tales of mistreatment — deliberate starvation, psychological torture (including forced readings of the Qur’an), beatings, and sexual assault” Even outright rape.
For the horrible reality is that taking into account the brutal cruel vicious horrendously evil Islamic character of the jihadists of Hamas, many of those hostages who had been kidnapped had also been murdered.
Such horrific treatment of those hostages is of no surprise when taking into account the demonic brutal cruel religion that Hamas has its foundation on, which of course is Islam, Surah 5:33. 9:123.
For there is absolutely no limits to the vile, heinous horrifically murderous wickedness that the jihadists of Hamas had committed and will continue to commit because of because of their demonic and malice-filled religion that is Islam.
Walter Sieruk says
Those vile and heinous brutal and cruel sexual atrocities committed against the young female Jewish hostages by the jihadists of Hamas, as exposed in an jihadwatch article exposes that “Now the four hostages just rescued have their own tales of mistreatment — deliberate starvation, psychological torture (including forced readings of the Qur’an), beatings, and sexual assault”
That completely horrendously evil behavior a by the jihadists of Hamas is a result of the teachings, doctrines , of Islam with it’s Quran as found in Surah 2;191. 4:48. 9:5,123 47;4] do cause and inspire such systematic heinous vile and despicable sex crimes
Those jihadists Hamas by their brutal murderous crimes committed against those helpless hostages they had kidnapped is the result of their religion which is Islam. Surah 4:89. 47:4. 9:123
Some naïve Westerners who don’t know and understand about the bloody and deadly essence of Islam’s jihad , might be shocked and stop and wonder “Just how can those jihadists of Hamas be so totally unconscionably evil to commit those horrendous sex vile heinous affront and hideous crime, actions ? “
The answer to that question is found in the Bible, which informs its reader that there are some men who are completely horrifically callous heartless and unfeeling because they have had “their conscience seared with a hot iron.” First Timothy 4:2. [K.J.V.]
For them, that “hot iron” is Islam.
CalvinsLutheran says
The idiots in the Western World sip on mixed drinks and issue remote instructions to Israel as they sleepily allow Hamas to inch upon them to execute terroristic action in vital resources such as SUBWAYS AND HIGHWAYS in their soft unresponsive Western Countries.The Ashkenazi Jews defended Europe in the Eastern Baltic states centuries ago (missing from history books) and still today the Ashkenazi Jews are protecting the West on the battlefront while being criticized by that same unappreciative Western society for doing so. How long will this uninformed buffoonery continue? When the Jihadis take inventory on Western readiness to respond on a Civic non-governmental level they thank Angela Merkel for their new slogan:”We can do this!”
Western society actually thinks that having resources is the same as using those resources. Seeking to avoid confrontation the West is now enabling an horrific attack. Crouching and tiptoeing upon a flock of sheep with malicious subtlety the predatory behavior of Jihad is cocksure that the West will continue to defund the police and expect to dial 911 to get a response. If the police are commanded NOT to defend business against homegrown consumer criminals how in Hell can police defend against asymmetric urban Jihad terrorism. After all 3000 people expect 100 police to protect them from 300 Jihad soldiers in a time of DEFUND THE POLICE.The Western Left is incapable of perceiving this plain-as-day scenario right before their God-forsaken eyes. Our Holy Scriptures outline exactly what is happening right now:
Ephesians 6:10-12
2nd Thessalonians 2nd Chapter
2nd Chapter Romans
Then circle back to Genesis and read the ENTIRE Holy Bible straight through SLOWLY. Otherwise sleep until we wake up dead. The Woke Left are somnambulant on the entire situation:
Rom 12:2
2 Corinthians 4:4
1John 4:3
James 2:5
bagsgroove says
The world of non-muslims should destroy painfully all of the hamassed terrorists. Start by forcefeeding them tons of pork before shooting them all. A dead hamass is a good hamass. And the pigs would be happy to keep their ham asses. Piggies are worth much more than any muslim.
deze MN bee says
In Ancient Greece did Athens ever hold Sparta to ransom by taking hostages? Nothing comes readily to mind. Sparta was a State on a permanent war-footing with all it citizens as warriors. That’s the famous image of Sparta that we think of even today. Would a Spartan expect a war to ensue over hostages? Would a Spartan taken as a hostage expect deliverance?
Israel is, de facto, a State permanently in readiness for war. There is no One State or Two State solution -there is only War State. And so, should Israel change its Constitution so that its citizens understood that they were “Spartans”? If so then Hamas could have no power over Israel in that way -they would have to go to Devil and get advice for some other diabolical scheme and what would that be?
Stive says
It’s 2 different categories, prisoners of war and innocent civilians hostages. But both are indeed captives. You don’t stop a war for pows nor for hostages.
Every one that has died or been held hostage since October was due to a hostage deal of letting out of prison the entire Hamas leadership for one Israeli soldier.
You crush the enemy fully till they surrender or they are no more. Then you get any captives back. Of course, any intelligence to rescue them during battle, you do make a rescue attempt.
Every Hamas terrorist killed has already been replaced by new recruits and prisoner releases. All Bidens food in surplus amount keeps Hamas afloat with tons of food to new recruits families. Hamas still has half their tunnels intact.
This war was done wrong. Sinai border needed seized at start. Hamas needed crushed in days on the surface no matter the carnage. Underground would follow but with the surface quickly crushed, much tunnel entrances and exits would be covered by heavy rubble and electric, water and air to tunnels would be no more in days.
Once surrender then all kinds of aid then should flow in.
Israel now fighting the American losing way.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Like I said before, it may be harsh, but it’s the only solution: write off the hostages. Assume that they are dead, and continue the operation to destroy Hamas until they’re not there in Rafah either. Then repossess Gaza, and tell the Palis that that’s the price for starting this war. From now on, like other countries, if Israel wins any war, it captures territory. Others – particularly the Putin supporters like Hamas, Iran, Syria…. have no business complaining. If they can recognize Russian claims not just to Crimea but also the Donbass and way beyond, like Marupol, Kherson, et al, then they have no business telling Israel that it can’t take land after winning a war
James Lincoln says
Infidel,
Tragically, at this point, I believe that you are correct.
And Israel needs to retake Gaza – and totally control it.
Alex Lund says
Israel should have cut off the Gaza strip completely – nothing comes in, nothing leaves. Total news blackout. No communication.
And then wait.
If the Palestinians complain about food and water tell them, they can exchange hostages for that.
One unharmed, not raped living hostage and they get the weight of the hostage in food and water.
If the hostage is alive, but raped or hurt, they get a quarter of the weight in food and water.
If the hostage is dead, they get a filled cookie box (those cookies are made with pork fat).
So, Israel should declare that the Gaza strip is under Siege and according to the rules of warfare then you have the right to a total blockade.
Then Israel should declare that the siege is only lifted, when all hostages have been returned and all – say again – ALL memebers of Hamas have surrendered.
If the number of people in the Gaza strip drops (because the territory can only support a certain number of people with food and water) then it is not Israels fault. Hamas can always surrender.
And if Hamas doesnt surrender, just wait till the end.
Yes, the hostages will be dead, but then I think the advice of Infidel should befollowed.
Those that survive this siege, bring them to the West Bank and declare Gaza to be property of Israel. Just as Germany lost the wars and lost territories, so should the Palestinians be taught the price of a war of aggression.
OLD GUY says
Groups like Hamas will always be around as long as someone FUNDS them.
Just where does Hamas get the MILLIONS of dollars to purchase Weapons, Food, Medical and Transportation?
Is American Foreign Aid being used to fund HAMAS, or is it Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar the UN or Soros who supplies the money for these murders.
Where are the INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS who used to dig into these stories?