As Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “A sudden and painful strike is better than a hundred useless conversations.”
By Rachel Avraham
This weekend has been a difficult one in the Jewish state. After Israel resumed the fighting in Gaza, the Houthis and Hamas have fired rockets multiple times at Israel throughout the weekend. The sirens were sounded in Ashkelon, Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the Shefela region and Tel Aviv’s suburbs on Friday and Shabbat. There were even three barrages of rocket fire that landed in the Metula area that were fired from Lebanon.
Although Hezbollah denied responsibility for the latest rocket fire from Lebanon, the IDF called the rocket fire on Metella “a blatant violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” noting “The State of Lebanon bears responsibility for upholding the agreement.”
Furthermore, the Houthis have declared a blockade on Ben-Gurion International Airport and warned airlines against traveling there. “After the success of our Yemeni Armed Forces in cutting off Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, a blockade is imposed on Ben-Gurion Airport in occupied Palestine,” the terror group said on X/Twitter. According to the Jerusalem Post, Ben-Gurion Airport has grounded all flights and has closed for landings following the recent Houthi attacks upon Israel.
In the wake of these developments, there are protesters gathering in Hostage Square denouncing the resumption of the war, claiming that the resumption of hostilities endangers the 59 Israelis who are still being held hostage in Gaza today. According to Israel Hayom, Doron Steinbrecher, a survivor of Hamas captivity, proclaimed at Hostage Square: “I carry fears and pain – but not the kind you think. I fear they won’t return home. I ache for entire families. I fear for the hostages still there. I ache for them. I’m angry at those who think it’s okay to go back to fighting. Where are you? How are you not listening to us? How?? Even there, there are many fears. The fear of being forgotten. The fear people will learn to live with the war. That they’ll learn to live with us not being here. That there are hostages. That this will become normal.”
Noam Idan Ben Ezra, sister of the late Tzachi Idan, who was murdered while in Hamas captivity, also proclaimed in Hostage Square: “I’m here tonight because Tzachi isn’t. Surviving monsters and then being abandoned – it was too much for him. I’m here tonight to deliver a clear message to the country’s leadership. This is a matter of life and death for the hostages and their families. This is about the Israeli spirit. This is about our future and the character of our country. And we will not give up on any of them.”
Aside from the demonstration in Hostage Square, there have literally been demonstrations across the Jewish state, demanding the immediate release of the hostages, among other issues. Some Israelis have even called for civil resistance and tax evasion as a form of protest against the government. There are many Israelis who believe that Israel should agree to whatever Hamas demands, so long as all of the living hostages come home for rehabilitation and the deceased come home for a proper Jewish burial. However, agreeing to whatever Hamas demands is national suicide. Although my heart is with the hostages, we cannot commit collective suicide just so all of the hostages come home.
Oded Ailam, a former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad and currently a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), explained why despite opposition within certain circles Netanyahu decided to resume the war in a recent article he wrote titled Israel Renews Fighting in Gaza: Breaking the Paradigm: “In recent weeks, it has become clear to all that Hamas is not genuinely interested in reaching a final agreement for the return of all hostages. Instead, it has been using the negotiations as a tactic to strengthen its military and political stance.”
According to him, “Hamas has added new demands that were never included in the original document presented by U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, insisted on a prolonged ceasefire without making significant concessions, and pinned its hopes on internal pressure within Israel to force it into accepting Hamas’s terms completely. At the same time, Hamas has continued recruiting fighters, restoring its tunnel network, planting explosives, and receiving indirect backing from the Arab League and Egypt – bodies that have not explicitly demanded that Hamas disarm or cease to exist as a political entity.”
Ailam continued: “Israel has decided to break the paradigm by resuming military action. While this step does carry risks for the hostages, the alternative – giving Hamas more time to prepare and solidify its control – is far worse. Further delays could result in hostages dying in tunnels while the IDF is forced to fight a more fortified and emboldened enemy. Renewing the fighting is meant to exert real pressure, making Hamas leadership understand that it cannot continue to stall and dictate the rules of the game.”
As Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “A sudden and painful strike is better than a hundred useless conversations.” Ailam concluded: “Israel has chosen exactly this strategy – not to be dragged into endless talks that only benefit Hamas, but rather to apply calculated and powerful force to create a real change on the ground.”
As the Israeli Ministry of Defense explained, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. This comes after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all proposals made by the US President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators.”
This also came after Hamas refused for a three week period to release any living hostages, following the conclusion of phase one of the deal, and Hamas refusing to accept any outline to extend phase one of the hostage deal. This also came after Israel unearthed a Hamas plot for a fresh October 7-style terror attack against Israel, while the cease-fire deal was being negotiated. Considering these facts, even though the renewal of the fighting does carry risks for the hostages and everyone right now really fears for their safety and well-being, the Israeli government did not have much of a choice but to renew the fighting.
