Hamas— How Do You Negotiate With the Dead

Strong statement on the cover image… huh? But when you give it some thought, it’s true. Usually, my articles are long and involve a lot of information. If you want more of that, please read my previous articles relating to this issue. Here are the links. (1) Israel and The Middle East published days after the attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023 published on Oct 13, 2023, (2) Israel and The Middle East: Part 2 published just a tad over a year later: Oct 21, 2023 and less directly in and article titled (3) Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Iran— Commonalities published a little over a year after the October attacks on Oct 16, 2024. If you have yet to read any of these articles— I suggest you do.

This article is pure opinion based on what I’ve read, viewed with the addition of common sense, rationale and a little critical thinking so, no need for my usual epilog. OK, here we go.

Let’s go with what’s obvious.
If there had never been an attack by Hamas on October 7th, 2023, I would not be writing this nor the previous articles. Life in Israel and Gaza would have gone on as usual with it’s squabbles and thousands would be alive today including all those viciously murdered in Israel. The Gaza Strip wouldn’t look like a demolition site which begs the question which has yet to be answered. Why? Hamas had to have known this would be the consequence. They had to have known by attacking Israel on October 7th would be signing their own death warrants and by extension— the death warrants of thousands of civilian collateral’s Hamas knew would be caught up in the crossfire of war. They could have used any excuse in the world justifying their attack on Israeli civilians and it wouldn’t have changed the response. It’s simple arithmetic. If you do action A— you can expect action B. If you place your hand in fire, you will be burned. The reason you placed your hand in fire doesn’t matter.

They also had to have known that Lebanon and Iran would be drawn into it to some degree. Whether orchestrated and funded directly by Iran or not, these two countries also had to have known the attack on Israeli civilians was in the works. So it stands to reason the attack was with their blessing which begs two more questions. (1) Were the people living in The Gaza Strip aware the attack on Israel was going to take place? Probably not because they knew what the outcome would be. Death and destruction throughout Gaza. Could there have been a way civilians could have stopped it? I highly doubtful. They would have been killed as dissidents by their own military. (2) Other than that which Hamas, Lebanon and Iran knew well beforehand would be Israel’s response, what was gained? Anything besides a bombed out Gaza Strip, dead Hamas leaders and all those who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? That is what I find incredibly bewildering. The “why.” Headlines in the news? Protests at a few U.S. Ivy League Colleges? If you ask me— I believe they did this in the hope that other like-minded countries like Iran and Lebanon would join in and to a degree, some have, but never fully committed. And the price they paid for this was thousands of lives? Was it worth it? I guess to them it was. You know, 72 Virgins can be enticing. Then again, I’ve always wondered— what do the women get?

The Hamas attack on October 7th, 2023 was a Pearl Harbor moment when Japan attacked the Hawaiian Naval Base at Perl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. I guess Hamas didn’t get the ending of the story that Japan lost in a huge way but they too (in the beginning) were willing to fight to the death of the entire country. It took two very large bombs and over a hundred-thousand deaths before they finally came to their senses and it looks like Hamas is going down the very same road and that too might also be their fate.

Keep in mind, the only reason the Gaza Strip hasn’t been turned into a parking lot is because of the hostages they took during the attack. Hamas knows this. So are they just delaying the inevitable? Any Hamas leader who had anything to do with the attack including all Hamas fighters who participated are dead men. They have to know this as well. Not only do they know this, they apparently fully accept their eventual demise.

So the question is— how do you negotiate with dead people?

The very minute the last hostage is released and the dead are returned— the Gaza Strip will be like Hell on earth until the last Hamas fighter, the last Hamas leader is dead and if that means thousands more will die in the process, so be it. Sound a little harsh? Well, look at it this way— if Zelenskyy had just declared Ukraine will make no attempt to join NATO, there would never have been an invasion from Russia. But they refused.

What options are left for Hamas?

When you have an enemy who looks forward to a “good death,” it’s difficult to say which is why they’re looking for every way imaginable to delay what will be their eventual annihilation. It appears their goals are (1) Save their own skins. (2) Remain in power and (3) secure the release of all prisoners in Israel. And they’re more than willing to sacrifice every single civilian in Gaza should they not achieve these goals. When you have fighters who stand behind human shields of women and children, that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? So, what are the options?

1. Keep releasing hostages at a snails pace to buy time, get more prisoners released and hope something changes via political pressure. This will only work for so long. If it gets down to four or five remaining, Israel will go in full force to rescue them and obliterate what’s left of Gaza in the process. Successful or not, Gaza turns into a wasteland.

2. Unconditional surrender. This will only take place if Iran orders it and even then there will be some factions who will not comply. Iran has it’s own problems with Israel regarding their nuclear program and see time is running out for them as well only this time, it includes the U.S.. I’m sure Iran considers Hamas as a headache they no longer want to deal or be associated with. They just might use Hamas as a sacrificial lamb saying in some back room deal— “do what you will.” This is a highly unlikely option but I figured it was plausible enough to throw out there.

3. Their only other option is to fight it out til the end and pray those 72 virgins isn’t a myth.

No matter how you calculate it, Hamas is over. They just don’t know it yet. Or maybe they do.

The very best outcome Hamas can hope for is to release all hostages (living and dead) and surrender under the agreement that no executions of remaining fighters or Hamas leadership will take place afterwards. Life in prison for those who participated in the October 7th attack? Sure, just no executions.

Personally? I say end it now. Give Hamas one week (two at the most) to release all hostages living or dead and surrender. No extensions, no excuses. If Hamas fails to comply in any way shape or form— All negotiations, agreements whether finalized or not are now off the table. Go in, full force. Begin at one end of the Strip and work your way across until the Gaza Strip is fully secured. Any hostages who don’t survive it should be considered as causalities of war. Sound harsh? As I’ve said in previous articles, if it were myself or one of my children who were being held hostage? I’d totally understand.

Israel can’t afford to wait much longer. There are too many other issues concerning the middle east that will come into play in the very near future. Hamas is strategically waiting for these other issues to come to the forefront as they believe it will give them leverage, bargaining power. Can’t allow that to happen.

The last question remaining is. What do you do with a generation of Gaza youth (now fighting age) fully indoctrinated by Hamas ideology? The main reason why so many border countries want nothing to do with them.

I doubt even Iran would take them.