Why Israel Can’t ‘Just Release the Hostages’ Without Ending Hamas First

“Why ‘just release the hostages’ doesn’t mean what you think it does.”

Actually, it means exactly what it says: return the innocent civilians—babies, Holocaust survivors, children—who were kidnapped on October 7. It's a moral imperative, not a political slogan. There is no justification for holding civilians hostage. Period.

“‘Just release the hostages’ is a bad-faith demand used to justify Israel’s mass murder.”

This is disgusting inversion of reality. Israel didn’t start this war—Hamas did, with the worst civilian massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Asking for the return of innocent hostages isn’t “bad faith.” What is bad faith? Kidnapping them in the first place, refusing to release them, and then accusing the victims of “mass murder” for trying to rescue them.

“Hamas did release 110 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians held without charge.”

First: Israel released 240 convicted or detained individuals as a humanitarian gesture. Hamas released just a fraction of the 250+ hostages it abducted, many of whom remain in captivity to this day—including children and elderly civilians.

Also: What kind of morality compares hostage releases as if they’re equal? Hamas kidnapped Israeli civilians during a massacre. The people Israel detained? Many were involved in or affiliated with terrorism. False equivalency.

“Israel broke the ceasefire. Then the genocide continued.”

The truce was abused by Hamas—who used it to regroup, rearm, and conceal more hostages. Once rockets resumed and intelligence revealed Hamas violations, Israel resumed the operation.

And let’s be clear: calling it “genocide” is a grotesque lie. A genocide doesn’t involve hundreds of airdropped humanitarian aid missions, evacuations, field hospitals, and warnings before strikes. Israel has taken unprecedented steps to minimize civilian harm—even as Hamas hides behind civilians.

“Hamas proposed deals to release all hostages. Israel and the U.S. rejected them.”

Hamas "proposals" were not real offers—they were propaganda tools. Hamas repeatedly demanded permanent ceasefires without any accountability for the October 7 massacre or disarmament.

That is not a peace deal—it’s a pause to reload.

Israel has consistently accepted humanitarian pauses, released hundreds of prisoners, and even paused fighting multiple times to reach hostage agreements. Hamas has repeatedly stalled, refused Red Cross access, and even executed hostages.

“Israel refused a deal in February 2024 because it included a permanent ceasefire.”

Yes—and rightly so. No country on Earth would accept a ceasefire that allows a genocidal terrorist organization to remain armed, in power, and free to repeat October 7.

Israel's refusal was not about hostages—it was about ensuring Hamas cannot continue to murder and kidnap civilians.

“In April 2024, Hamas accepted a deal mirroring Israel’s offer. Then Israel backed out.”

Mondoweiss presents this without any context. The deal “mirrored” Israel’s earlier exploratory frameworks, but Hamas still demanded impossible terms: permanent ceasefire, full IDF withdrawal, and political concessions before releasing the remaining hostages.

Israel didn’t “back out.” It recognized a bait-and-switch—and refused to let terrorists dictate the outcome of this war.

“U.S. leaks say Israel avoided a deal to finish its military campaign. Their goal is destruction.”

More anonymous sources, no proof. And even if true: the destruction of Hamas—a group that raped, burned, beheaded, and kidnapped—is a moral and strategic necessity.

The world demanded Israel fight terror after October 7. That’s exactly what it’s doing.

“Netanyahu is dragging this out for political survival.”

This is a tired trope. The war isn’t about Netanyahu—it’s about national survival.

Israelis of every political stripe support eliminating Hamas.

The hostage families themselves are divided—some want a deal at all costs, others want Hamas destroyed so this never happens again.

“Israelis are protesting Netanyahu. Israel is holding thousands without charge.”

Israelis protest because it’s a democracy. That’s a strength, not a weakness.

The claim of “thousands held without charge” is misleading—many are in administrative detention because they pose active security threats. It’s not arbitrary—it’s legal, reviewed, and regulated by Israel’s own courts.

Meanwhile, Hamas not only holds hostages—it executed several, and continues to hide behind civilians while firing rockets at kindergartens.

CLOSING SLAM:

Mondoweiss wants the world to believe that Israel is the aggressor and Hamas is a reasonable negotiator. That is not journalism—that is propaganda.

No amount of aesthetic Instagram slides can erase the blood Hamas spilled on October 7. And no moral democracy would ever allow that terror to rise again.