In most countries around the world, 8-year-old kids ask questions such as “why is the sky blue?” and “how do planes stay in the air?”
In Israel, 8-year-old kids ask questions such as “would it be better to be dead, or a hostage?” and “what happens if a missile hits a grave?”
Some kids, like Ariel and Kfir Bibas, won’t live long enough to ask those questions.
The terror and unfathomable destruction that Hamas has inflicted on all Israelis is simply indescribable. Israelis are forever changed for the worse after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, and the “deals” with Hamas that are on the table right now only further perpetrate the injustices done unto them.
A microcosm of Hamas’ destruction and brutality was on display for the world to see when the outcome of the kidnapping of the Bibas family came to light last month.
During the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas captured Yarden Bibas, Shiri Bibas, and their kids, 4-year-old Ariel and 9-month-old Kfir. As part of a hostage deal, Yarden was released alive after 483 days of captivity, but Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were murdered. The IDF confirmed that “the terrorists did not shoot the two young boys — they killed them with their bare hands. Afterward, they committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities.”
Not satisfied with murdering babies and toddlers in cold blood, Hamas staged a morbid ceremony to hand over their bodies. They proudly showed off their caskets on a stage, with a giant antisemitic poster in the back blaming Israel for the horrific outcome. They celebrated themselves as brutal murderers, holding the perpetration of indescribable cruelty as moral virtue. Meanwhile, Palestinian civilians gathered around to see the show, cheer the terrorists on, and show their “heroes” to their own children.
The fate of the Bibas family serves as a microcosm of Hamas’ brutality and the support they get from Palestinian civilians. While some people have finally begun questioning whether negotiating with barbarians is even possible, others still believe that it’s a worthy goal.
The reality is that there’s no negotiating with savages whose life goal is to kill as many Jews as possible. It is impossible to negotiate with irrational brutes who will shamelessly break agreements (a ceasefire deal was in place on Oct. 6, 2023) and, fundamentally, it’s a massive immorality to do so. Hamas and their many supporters don’t deserve any considerations, nor mercy, nor deserve to be built a “beautiful town” like the U.S. administration wants to do.
Part of the problem with ceasefire deals is not only that they will be broken time and time again by Hamas and their supporters, but also that they are massively disproportionate—a fact that highlights the colossal moral difference between Hamas and Israel. In order to get what remained of the Bibas family back, Israel negotiated releasing 1000 Gazans, many of whom were living terrorists who had attacked Israel before, in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages, all peaceful people, some of whom were dead. Making deal with Hamas all but guarantees that they will continue taking hostages. It shows them that their strategy works.
As evidenced by the very nature of Hamas, the recividism of the Gazans returned in the hostage deal in exchange for peaceful Israelis, and the past violation of ceasefire deals, continuing to go down the same route will only guarantee more bloodshed and terror for Israelis. Hamas will not change, no matter how many “deals” they commit to—it’s murdering Jews that they are after, and they won’t quit until they think they’ve killed enough of them (which is never).
Hamas and their supporters are not terrorists because they’re poor, or “oppressed,” or because they demand a “better life” that they haven’t earned. They are ideologically motivated—they want to eliminate Jews (and eventually the whole of Western civilization) from the face of the earth and impose their barbaric rule on the world. The Trump administration, along with Netanyahu, now wants to build “the riviera of the Middle East” in Gaza, and give Gazans “really good quality housing” after all that has happened and the popular support that Hamas received after October 7.
This is a massive injustice that rewards Hamas and Gazans for their unspeakable evil. While there are Palestinians who don’t support Hamas, a large number of them do. People aren’t determined— Palestinians have chosen to support Hamas. They’ve elected them to power and chosen to center their lives around murdering Jews and get joy out of it. Under what wicked conception of justice do they deserve to be rewarded for that?
Striking ceasefire deals and pushing for the construction of developments in the Gaza region may be seen as politically advantageous by some, but in reality it’s unspeakably unjust, it’s humiliating to Israelis and a horrible mistake in the long-run, when Hamas and their supporters continue to try to kill Israelis. These deals will only allow them to draft their plans poolside while drinking margaritas in a “beautiful” resort.
The only way to morally and definitively end the war is to uproot the evil of Hamas for good. The only justification for trading terrorists for hostages is to make sure Hamas doesn’t exist long enough to take hostages ever again. Obliterating Hamas is the only way to bring justice to Israelis, and to however many Palestinians don’t agree with Hamas and want to live peaceful lives. October 7 happened because Hamas wasn’t eliminated years ago. History is simply repeating itself now. If Israel had had the moral courage to destroy Hamas earlier (and had been encouraged by the U.S. to do so), the Bibas family would still be alive and thousands of Israelis wouldn’t be living in terror. Kids wouldn’t be wondering if it’s best to die or to be a hostage.
To prevent another Oct. 7 and to guarantee that no more kids grow up living in terror, Hamas must be destroyed once and for all.
Agustina Vergara Cid is a Young Voices contributor. You can follow her on X at @agustinavcid
