Did Israel make the wrong choice by freeing the hostages?

Decisiveness is a great strength, but not one that can always be executed, especially when faced with two bad alternatives.

In the dilemma which has faced Israel, ever since that dreadful October 7th morning, when more than 250 innocents were taken captive, the two alternatives that laid before us were: make a deal to free the hostages, at the expense of allowing Hamas to remain intact, or decimate Hamas, at the expense of the lives of the 20 who remained behind, hanging on to their lives by a thread. We couldn’t do both.

But now that the ceasefire has been violated, along with the reality that Hamas doesn’t seem to be willing to lay down their arms and head to other localities, exempt from all punishment, the gnawing question which comes back to haunt us is whether or not we made the right choice.

As we witness the heartwarming reunions of these families, who have had to watch clips of their sons, husbands and brothers being starved, abused and tortured, who among us is willing to say that allowing them to die would have been the better choice?

The Monday morning quarterback, opining on what the team should have done differently, in order to win the game they lost on Sunday, is the easy fallback position, because it supposes that a better outcome could have been had. But in these uncharted waters where Israel finds herself, in the very uncomfortable position of having to make a deal with the devil in order to save her citizens, there are no better options.

Each one of us knows that there was a great likelihood that freeing the hostages would come at the price of allowing Hamas the time and ability to regroup, strengthen and reclaim their hold on Gaza, but giving up on 20 live men was not a viable alternative – not for Israelis.

So, now we find ourselves in the position of having to forcibly remove this stubborn cancer which, short of being excised from our midst, will only grow and spread – leading to another prolonged battle which we hopefully thought was behind us, for now.

Will this war of attrition ever come to an end?  Perhaps the better question is whether Qatar and the others really want that to happen? Who knows better than the financiers of Hamas. While warmly welcoming President Trump to their country, promising to cooperate with his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, they were also in constant contact with the same terrorists whom they funded, providing them with sanctuary in their most luxurious hotels?

Maybe they knew all along that Hamas never really intended giving up their control of the territory adjacent to our border, and why should they when it remains the most convenient location from where to attack.

But in the game of second-guessing ourselves, some now think that the concessions which Israel made, in order to free the hostages, were compromises which, in the end, will hurt us. Those include Gaza being run by a multinational force, comprised of countries who are not exactly our friends. That means we would be dependent upon the good will of Turkey, Qatar and Egypt who intend to be responsible for the restoration of Gaza.  

Would they make sure that weapons are not smuggled? Because in the past, Egypt knew full well that they were, so why have faith in them now? Will they be able to prevent the launching of missiles from under the ground? It’s a valid question, because even while Israel had 75% of Gaza control, a few stray missiles were still launched, unable to determine from where they came.

Of course, the usual far-right, ultra-orthodox parties within the government coalition have threatened to leave if Hamas continues to control Gaza, but, on that issue, most Israelis agree. No one is advocating for Hamas to remain in power.  

But whomever takes over the governance of Gaza will need to do things differently, both for their people and in relation to their attitude towards the Jewish state. If they continue in the path of those committed to our demise, then nothing will change for their people. Because instead of focusing on creating a successful and prosperous society, they will continue to expend their thoughts and energies on ways to destroy us.

Sadly, there are few moderate Palestinian leaders who embrace the “live and let live” ideology when it comes to Israel. They are fixated on a goal to move us out so that they can move in, but, as they well know, we’re not going anywhere, so their fight is an enduring one which will be perpetuated from one generation to the next.

The only thing that Israel can do is be one step ahead of our enemies, using our intelligence and developing better and more sophisticated weapons to secure our safety.

Nonetheless, it’s possible that we will still run the risk of finding ourselves outmaneuvered and trapped, yet again facing terrible choices such as this last one. That is when we may finally remember that we have a helper who is the greatest strategist ever – able to outsmart the smartest, and no, his name is not Donald J. Trump.

For whatever help and support we have received from the present administration, for which we are truly grateful, they, too, are limited when facing a formidable foe who is determined to win.

We are reminded by the Psalmist that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. God is in the midst of her (Israel); she shall not be moved.  God shall help her, and that, right early.” Psalm 46

That is our ultimate weapon – one which cannot be defeated, because it is He who will confound the enemy as He has so many times in the past. Israel has, for too long, relied upon its own capabilities and powerful allies, who have promised to always be there for us, but that is not from where our help will come.  

As more nations, leaders and people come against Israel, we have nowhere to look but upward, and while that may seem unsure, nothing could be more guaranteed, because when the God of Israel is fighting on your behalf, there is no second guessing that, perhaps, there was a better option!