Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

The Terrible Israel-Hamas Deal

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In Gaza, there has been cheering at news of the Israel-Hamas deal, but in the Jewish state, the the announcement of the hostages-for-criminals deal, that will include a complete pullout from Gaza by the IDF (it will relinquish both the Philadelphi and the Netzarim corridors), has been greeted with subdued hope, mingling joy at the news about the hostages being freed and anxiety about what this deal will mean for the longterm future of Hamas, for Gaza, and for the security of Israel.

I think the deal as made public is disastrous. Some suggest that perhaps, in order to obtain Netanyahu’s agreement, Israel has been certain assurances by the incoming Trump administration to Israel concerning collaborating on an attack on Iran’s nuclear program.

Andrew Fox has produced here one of the most thorough discussions of the agreement’s shortcomings here: “Ceasefire in Gaza,” Andrew Fox, January 15, 2025:

…Tactically, Hamas have taken a severe beating in Gaza since October 2023. It is assessed that they have lost as much as 90% of military capability and 80% of manpower, although they have recruited well and boosted their numbers from below 10,000 to the 20-30,000 range. However, these are untrained recruits, often under-age, and the IDF has been striking their training camps in Northern Gaza so they have been unable to form any kind of meaningful capability. This is not a fighting force that retains any ability to harm the IDF in real numbers, although, as seen this past week with a fatal IED attack, they are able to score the odd hit.

Sinwar, Deif and most other key leaders are dead. However, this has not affected Hamas’ ability to retain administrative control of Gaza. As the IDF has attacked and then withdrawn from areas within Gaza, Hamas has lost fighting capability but has been able swiftly to resume governance. This has been facilitated by humanitarian aid. The IDF has seen aid cross the border, but has left its distribution to humanitarian organisations. This has allowed Hamas to seize control of large portions of aid, resupplying themselves as well as using distribution as a lever of control over the population.

Strategically, Hamas will consider this deal to be a victory. They will retain control in Gaza, whatever happens in Stage 3, even if they need a superficial rebrand to do so. Their new, untrained fighters are no use against the IDF, but goons with guns is all they need to exert power over the Gazan population. Unrestricted inflow of aid, coupled with reduced Israeli oversight and reconnaissance, will allow Hamas to rebuild in short order….

Hamas has seen booming popularity in Judea & Samaria/West Bank, as well as thriving branches in Lebanon and Syria. The stock of the Palestinian cause rides high internationally and will only get higher as Hamas proclaims a victory following this ceasefire deal. By means of political pressure on Israel, the international information campaign has kept Hamas in the fight, extended the war, prolonged the suffering of Gazan civilians, and has ultimately handed Hamas a win through the fact of their continued survival and eventual rebuild.

Hamas will firmly exploit this following the ceasefire, as the world’s media sees the wreckage in Gaza. Expect to see much footage of bodies being pulled from ruins. Israel is going to be condemned internationally worse than ever before, and the Palestinian campaign will continue to make huge international gains from the aftermath of the war. The kidnapping of Israelis abroad will become a feature in years to come. Already, Palestinians are celebrating a victory. If this ceasefire deal passes, the conflict concludes with a win for Hamas and the Palestinian cause beyond even Sinwar’s wildest dreams.

And from the standpoint of Israel:

One Israeli on X wrote, “The hardest part of the deal to swallow? Receiving CORPSES in exchange for living, breathing murderers.” It is a fair point. The first thing to note about this deal is that it completely validates Hamas’s strategy of taking hostages. Without the hostages, this war would have been over months ago, with a convincing IDF victory. Strategically, hostage-taking was the masterstroke that facilitated Hamas’s entire victory.

It would be entirely understandable if the IDF rank-and-file felt a sense of political betrayal. They have won every fight. Their operational design was masterful, avoiding all the ground-holding mistakes that led to Western quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan. And yet, Israel appears to have seized defeat in Gaza from the jaws of victory….

One positive is that Iran’s proxy capabilities, less the Houthis and Iraqi militias, lie in ruins. This has been a huge Israeli success, but Hamas was never an Iranian proxy and so comprises part of a different problem set that remains unsolved. The reported unrestricted provision of aid and uncontrolled reconstruction clauses in this peace deal are the most disastrous parts: they are a free pass to allow Hamas to reconstitute. Ultimately, the campaign in Gaza has failed: it has achieved short-term security whilst Hamas rebuilds, but in the long term it is unlikely that Hamas will remain dismantled, or that Israel’s borders will be any safer from future attacks in decades to come.

I agree with Andrew Fox, that the “most disastrous parts” of the deal are the “unrestricted provision of aid and uncontrolled reconstruction clauses” because “they are a free pass to allow Hamas to reconstitute.” That is why it is essential that the rebuilding should be both funded by, and administered by a rich Arab state (or states) that is resolutely anti-Hamas — that is, either the UAE or Saudi Arabia, or both. Under no circumstances should the American government, nor any Western government, pay for any part of rebuilding Gaza. Let rich Arabs — who regard Hamas as the Gazan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood that opposes the family dynasties in the Gulf — pay for any rebuilding in Gaza, especially as those deep-pocketed Arabs, unlike gullible Westerners, are aware of all the deceptions that Hamas is capable of.

The Good and the Bad of the Gaza deal are reasonably clear. Israel gets back its hostages. But as I have repeatedly warned in connection with the earlier prospect of ceasefire deals, Hamas is left to regroup, to recruit, and to boast to the world that after 15 months of battering by the IDF, it is still standing. In the Arab world, that constitutes a victory. What’s more, the Bidenites are now on record as having said that the “reconstruction” of Gaza will soon take place, and the Americans will be among its funders. The deal says nothing about replacing Hamas as the administrator of Gaza. And now, if the ceasefire holds, and becomes permanent, the world will see, night after night, heart-rending videos of the destruction in Gaza that will keep the anti-Israel animus bubbling over.

Comments

  1. Just one question.

    Did Israel give any ultimatum to Hamas after terrorists were driven out of Israel after Oct. 7th?

    Just some bombardment on local and international media: “Release hostages, punish those responsible for the attack, or face war.” 

    Did Israel give Gazans a chance to avoid war?

    • How could the ‘gazans avoid war’ when gazans started the war?
      One can’t ‘avoid a fight’ if one begins the fight.
      So a nation or government….or a terrorist organization…starts a war and then shouldn’t complain and whine when the one they attacked, shoots back.

      • That is true. But are you obligated to start a war if your enemy is willing to capitulate to your demands? 

        Revenge is, of course, the one factor. Excuse for that is saying, “Never again.”. Never again what? War where a barbaric and genocidal enemy does what they tend to do? How about building peace bit by bit?

        • hamas started the war. hamas knew Israel would not “capitulate” to their demands. If left alone by the world’s idiots, Israel could have made a finish of it before now..

          hamas started the war, but doesn’t want the end result that is justified.

          And no one can make peace with mozlums because mozlums don’t want peace.

        • “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” -Matthew 5:9

          I hope Westeners can make “deals” in Trumps era that last.

        • Jesus also, when speaking with His enemies who wanted to ****murder**** Him, said,

          “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:33)

          mozlums, as the enemies of Christians and Jews, do not want peace. They are modern “serpents” and a “brood of vipers.” they want us all dead.

        • Hamas could have returned the hostages at any point, and step down–they’ve had over a year tp do so now. Isn’t that enough time?

          The idea that Israel was supposed to “build peace” with a terror group that had just murdered over a thousand Israelis and kidnapped over 250 victims–vowing to use many of them as sex slaves.

          How do you make peace with this terrorism?

        • Obh seems to think that Jihad terrorists should be rewarded for raping women and murdering babies. And the idea that Israel defending herself is “starting a war”–as thought the attacks of 10/7 were peaceful–is quite appalling.

          Doesn’t Obh realize that Hamas wants to see Israel destroyed and her people slaughtered? Is he demanding that Israel surrender to this?

    • Obh says,

      Just one question.

      In 2006, the “Palestinians” voted in Hamas for their leadership.

      Did Hamas give Israel a chance to “avoid war” on October 7, 2023?

  2. Islam is a MUSLIM TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Specifically, Islam is a Muslim Terrorist Ideology and Criminal Organization of discrimination, segregation, supremacy, genocide, polygamy, deceit, hatred, incitement, sedition, rape, terrorism, and violence against all Non-Muslims as taught in the Quran. Basically, Islam is a Terrorist Criminal Enterprise. Thus, the Truth about Islam and its terrorism, discrimination, and violence must be taught and exposed to the general public.

    Non-Muslims CANNOT have peace with Islam and its Muslims because Islam and its murderous god, Allah, demand a continuous, Muslim war against unbelievers where Non-Muslims are CRIMINALS under Islam as Allah in Qur’an 8:39 says, “And engage in war with them[Non-Muslims] until there will not be sedition and the religion will be completely to Allah…” HENCE, NON-MUSLIMS MUST MAKE ISLAM, ITS MOSQUES, ITS SCHOOLS, ITS ORGANIZATIONS, ETC. ILLEGAL UNDER THE LAW. Similarly, Islam and its many Organizations must be identified and declared to be a MUSLIM TERRORIST ORGANIZATION for their funding, teaching, and support of terrorism, violence, and discrimination against Non-Muslims. There is NO EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW in Islam.

    Allah in Islam demands SURRENDER which means ‘to Surrender, whether voluntarily or not, by becoming a Muslim’ while Submission, ‘to Submit’, is a voluntary act to follow the authority or control of another. Allah in Quran 49:14 says, “’The Bedouins said, ‘We believed.’ Say,’You did not believe. But say, ‘We surrender (became Muslim as a result of fear).’ And the faith has not entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and his messenger, he will not decrease anything from your works. Surely Allah is forgiving, merciful.’”

    Islam promotes a terroristic, Muslim war against unbelievers when Allah in Qur’an 49:15 says, “Surely the believers are only those who believed in Allah and his messenger. They do not doubt, and they performed JIHAD with THEIR MONEY AND THEIR LIVES for the sake of Allah. Those are the truthful.”

    Allah promises Heavenly Paradise to Muslims for acts of killing when Quran 9:111 says, “Surely Allah has purchased from the believers[Muslims] their souls and their money so that they may have the garden[Heavenly Paradise]. They engage in war for the sake of Allah, so they kill and are killed…”

    Islam champions Muslim acts of slaughter against Non-Muslims for not becoming Muslims as Allah in Qur’an 8:12 says, “When your lord revealed to the angels: ‘I am with you so make firm those who believed[Muslims]. I will cast a terror into the hearts of those who became infidels[Non-Muslims]. So strike above their necks(decapitation), and strike off(chop off) every finger from them.’”

  3. Having any kind genuine of deal with that hostile lying murderous horrendously wicked jihad terror entity ,Hamas is literally just like attempting to , as it is said, “making a deal with the devil” That is foolishness and folly.

    For the Muslim terrorists jihad malicious murderous jihad violence of Hamas will continue kidnapping raping and murdering because of the basic root ideology of Islamic terrorists is based on the theology of Islam’s “holy book” the Qur ‘an. For the Qu ‘ran instructs in the use of violence and killing for the advancement of Islam. As found in, for example, 2:191. 5:33. 9:5, 111.123. 47:4. Therefore Islam is a false, dangerous and deadly religion.

    • Islam is a barbaric, misogynistic, imperialist political ideology of Arab male supremacy~ 70 % ISLAMOFASCISM , DISGUISED AS A RELIGION ~ 30% that strives by Jihad and soft cultural jihad of immigration to conquer the World and impose Sharia Law for 1400 years already!ISLAM IS AS ISIS AND HAMAS DO! TRUTH AND LIGHT WILL KILL THE LIE AND DARKNESS OF ISLAM. DEPORT ALL MUSLIM MIGRANTS TO THEIR COUNTRIES!

  4. Hostages being released a few at a time, over the course of months…..how many will be murdered during that time and be only a deceased body returned? If returned.

    Some terrorists have been killed. Some captured and treated for injuries in Israel’s hospitals. Now, those captured will be released so they can fight again another day….to murder innocent people

    This is like catch and release so the fish caught can grow larger and the fisherman goes home empty handed; with injury from hooks and catfish barbs. only so much worse

  5. We must never forget that the horrible reality of the brutal cruelly abused of the Jewish hostages by the Muslims terrorists of Hamas is most horrendous evil and is reflection of the evil and malicious and vicious Islamic character of the jihadists of Hamas. Therefore , in any genuine deal,Hamas should now be paying those kidnapped Jewish hostages compensation money for the physical and emotional harm the those Muslim terrorists of Hamas deliberately inflected on them.

    It also should be remembered that 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.

    • And that’s why I rely on the advice….the command….of the Psalm about where I should not put my trust.

      He needs to stop talking and listen when he doesn’t know the subject.

      • Just read Psalm 81 this morning:

        Sing for joy to God our strength;
        shout aloud to the God of Jacob!

        Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
        play the melodious harp and lyre.

        Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
        and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
        this is a decree for Israel,
        an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

        When God went out against Egypt,
        he established it as a statute for Joseph.

        I heard an unknown voice say:
        “I removed the burden from their shoulders;
        their hands were set free from the basket.

        In your distress you called and I rescued you,
        I answered you out of a thundercloud;
        I tested you at the waters of Meribah. c

        Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
        if you would only listen to me, Israel!

        You shall have no foreign god among you;
        you shall not worship any god other than me.

        I am the Lord your God,
        who brought you up out of Egypt.

        Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

        “But my people would not listen to me;
        Israel would not submit to me.

        So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
        to follow their own devices.

        “If my people would only listen to me,
        if Israel would only follow my ways,
        how quickly I would subdue their enemies
        and turn my hand against their foes!

        Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
        and their punishment would last forever.

        But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
        with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

  7. Sign it, get the hostages back and then reneg if Israel is shot at by one single Hamas operative. Make it a causus belli. All bets are off and so the IDF can attack again.

    • Word to what Raymond Bullock said, above.

      Every non-Islamic person inside Israel needs to understand – REALLY understand, at gut level – the implications of that episode in the life of mohammed that is called ‘the treaty of Hudaybiyya’: the template for ALL subsequent mohammedan ‘truce-treaties’, ‘treaties’ or deals of any kind at all, made with non-Muslims. First: Muslims are ONLY supposed to ask for ceasefires, treaties, etc, when they feel weak and need a ‘timeout’.. which they then use to regroup and rearm. Second: any such ‘deal’ is supposed to last no longer than ten years. Third: if the mohammedans feel strong enough, well before that ten years are up, to BREAK the deal (usually by inventing a bull-sh*t claim that the Infidel side has somehow ‘broken’ the deal), and go back in for the kill.
      NO Infidel anywhere, should EVER enter into, let alone *trust* a ‘deal’ offered by, or made with, Muslims. Such ‘deals’ are not worth spit.
      Only if one grasps all of these facts, FIRST, may one – in very difficult circumstances – choose to make a ‘deal’… preferably from a position of strength, and knowing, with grim clarity, that at ANY moment the slimy, slithery, lying snakes you are having to deal with, will turn round and attack, usually from behind.

      Someone needs to send President-Elect Donald Trump – who fancies himself as a ‘deal-maker’ – a copy of what Spencer’s friend Hugh Fitzgerald has written, about the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. He has GOT to be made to realize that NO deal made by an infidel or infidels, with mohammedans – and that includes, alas, the much-ballyhooed ‘abraham accords’ – can or should be trusted, by the infidel side, for even *one second* .

  8. Enough of quotations and “prophecies” from holy books.
    This catastrophe is all down to bleeding hearts bleeding for the wailing and crying families of hostages.
    Why can’t those families accept that Israel is at war with those whose aim is to “wipe Israel from the face of the Earth” and when Israel is gone there will be no more hostages because there will be no more Israeli families. But they don’t care. They only want mummy and daddy and David and Sarah and the family dog to be all together again. They will get a hostage or two back but the Hamas volcano will start rumbling soon enough.
    Israel should never have negotiated for a single hostage but selfish transient realpolitik guaranteed this disgraceful surrender.

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