Today's Hostage Release in Gaza: The Face of Barbarity

Today’s release of three Israeli hostages is another illustration of just how barbaric Hamas is. Three men, Or Levy, 34, Eli Sharabi, 52, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, all emaciated after over a year of captivity in inhuman conditions, were paraded in front of a Gazan crowd and forced to participate in a “ceremony” before being turned over to the Red Cross. Fox News has posted photos of the three men before and after their captivity. Just another in a series of outrageous “ceremonies” by Hamas in which hostages are paraded through hostile crowds, not knowing whether they would be freed or torn apart by the mobs.

 One of them, Eli Sharabi, only learned after being freed that his wife and two daughters had all been slaughtered by Hamas.

In return, Israel is releasing another batch of Palestinian murderers and terrorists from custody, all to be welcomed by the Palestinian community as heroes. So far, 550 of these criminals have been released by Israel in exchange for hostages.

I have been very critical of President Trump’s announcement that the US would “take over” Gaza and rebuild it into some sort of tourist paradise. I don’t want one American cent spent on Gaza, and I don’t want any American involvement in Gaza whatsoever. If the Gazans are all moved to Egypt, Jordan, or the moon, I could care less. They supported Hamas and cheered on October 7, 2023, many of them even taking part in the atrocities of that day when innocent men, women, children, and even infants were kidnapped into Gaza. I have no sympathy for the Gazans or their cause. That said, I don’t think the US should play any role in their removal if it comes to that. It is entirely possible that Trump, in his usual negotiating style, is merely trying to force Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab nations like Saudi Arabia to stand up to the plate and say, “We’ll handle this in cooperation with Israel”. I hope that’s the case.

I would also oppose the US taking any Gazans in as “refugees”. They would only bring their hatreds with them and add to our growing anti-Semitic problem. These people cheered wildly on October 7, 2023, and their present condition is of their own making. To allow them into the US would only make things worse for our Jewish citizens. The same goes for Europe, but who knows what they’ll do.

But back to the release of these three hostages. I am happy they are back, but today’s images only reinforce the realization that Israel is dealing with ruthless barbarians who have no sense of human decency. I have no illusions that today’s images will change the minds of Hamas’ supporters in the US, especially on our college campuses, hotbeds of radicalism and sheer idiocy, both at the student and professorial levels. Nor will it change the minds of the corrupt anti-Semites in the UN. They will continue to pass resolution after resolution condemning Israel.

I am more optimistic that today’s images will be duly noted by President Trump.