GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 274

They Aren’t Nice People

The Devil’s In The Details

Many reports are heralding the point that Hamas is dropping the guarantee that there be a deal for a permanent ceasefire before even beginning phase one as we see in a report from The Times Of Israel:

Hamas has given initial approval for a US-backed proposal for a phased truce and hostage exchange deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel give an up-front commitment for a complete end to the war, a Hamas and an Egyptian official said Saturday.

What is the hitch to this deal? They want the agreement in writing:

At the same time, a key stumbling block appeared to be Hamas’s desire for “written guarantees” from mediators that Israel will continue to negotiate a permanent ceasefire deal once the first phase of a ceasefire goes into effect.

The Hamas representative told The Associated Press the group’s approval came after it received “verbal commitments and guarantees” from mediators that the war won’t be resumed and that negotiations will continue until a permanent ceasefire is reached.

“Now we want these guarantees on paper,” he said.

This looks exactly like the things that Hamas always does in these negotiations. They get close to a deal and then add a poison pill that Israel won’t agree to which makes them look agreeable and Israel killing any deal:

According to a Walla news report Friday, Mossad chief David Barnea informed Qatari mediators that Israel rejects Hamas’s demand for a written commitment from mediators that the negotiations regarding the second phase of the ceasefire can extend indefinitely if needed.

With an impasse again, the United States is still working to get a deal:

Axios reported that Washington is working to reach a compromise on the matter that will be acceptable to both sides.

Am I the only person who sees through this game of bait and switch? Hamas wants to survive and the hostages are the only way they can maintain that hope. They can’t fight their way to winning and they must keep stalling to not be annihilated. Israel knows this better than anyone and they continue to maintain their right to keep fighting if at any point Hamas is just stalling. I sure want a deal to get all the hostages back, but these terrorists are not ever going to honor any deal that will mean that once the last hostage is released they will then be completely obliterated.

Hamas Only Cares About Surviving

And proof of it is a video that the IDF released Friday showing Hamas beating people for simply wanting food intended for civilians. We read more on this from an article from the Jewish News Syndicate:

A 49-second video clip shared by the Israel Defense Forces on Friday shows disturbing violence as Hamas terrorists use clubs to beat men who reportedly sought food from a warehouse filled with aid intended for civilians.

It begins with a blindfolded man, hands tied behind his back, sprayed with green paint that his captor uses to write Arabic letters on his back. A Hamas terrorist then strikes the captive in the head and yells at him.

The article cites the post of the actual video on the IDF account on X

“What happens when civilians try getting humanitarian aid in Gaza?” the IDF asked on X.

A second blindfolded man pulled from the bed of a pickup truck is also shown with spray-painted words on his back. The video then moves to two blindfolded men on the ground, surrounded by a circle of masked men, as multiple terrorists beat them with clubs while they scream.

According to subsequent posts after the video, the backs of those wanting food are spray painted with the word “thief.” The article goes on to point out what we’ve known for some time and that Hamas takes the food, takes what they need for their troops and then sells the rest to the very civilians who should be getting it for free:

The IDF wrote that “while Israel is making great efforts to ensure the entry of aid is being facilitated to the people of Gaza, Hamas continues to steal and hide it from Gazan civilians.”

For those who say that Hamas is just keeping people from stealing it, remember this:

In the video, the Israeli military said viewers can see for themselves “masked individuals, that according to Gazan civilians are Hamas members, beating and holding civilians captive after they attempted to enter a warehouse where humanitarian aid was stored. These civilians just wanted to eat, but Hamas had other plans.”

Also on X we see a post where those marked as thieves are killed and their bodies left on the side of the road.

A Disturbing Report

I know this whole podcast is not the most uplifting one, but it seems like the news about Hamas needs to be voiced. We read in a report from The Jerusalem Post that women who are still hostages may have gotten pregnant and may have had the babies while in captivity which could explain why Hamas didn’t want to release all the women as requested by Israel:

Nine months have passed since twelve women were kidnapped and held captive by Hamas. The horrifying possibility of pregnancy in captivity has resurfaced. A new medical document reviewing the medical literature highlights the anticipated medical, psychological, and social issues that could arise should one of the raped hostages become pregnant.

Published in the latest issue of the "Harefuah" journal by the Israel Medical Association, the article was written by Dr. Lea Shelef from the School of Social Work at Sapir College and psychiatrist Dr. Gil Salzman from Geha Hospital.

The article mentions there are reasons why terrorists abuse women:

Ironically, ISIS's "rape law" prohibits the rape of pregnant women. Therefore, the organization prevents women taken captive and turned into sex slaves from becoming pregnant. However, according to the horrific ideology of the murderous organization emulated by Hamas, impregnating a woman essentially converts her and her children to Islam, and she should be grateful for this throughout her life.

It is disturbing to even talk about this, but these terrorist have rules like this:

An official ISIS leaflet on captives states that a fighter can rape a woman he enslaves almost under any condition, even if she is a child, but he must ensure she is not pregnant. Some survivors reported receiving birth control pills or morning-after pills in captivity.

Israel is planning in case the unthinkable has happened:

Despite the difficulty in bearing the idea of pregnancies resulting from rape in captivity, the researchers emphasize the necessity to prepare for every scenario. This involves using all known trauma treatment methods to alleviate suffering and foster resources through tools that recreate a sense of security.

The overall point in these reports of Hamas not letting civilians have access to food and then how they treat their hostages should let us know why these horrible people need to be stopped. And these hostages need to be rescued as quickly as possible. If this doesn’t inspire you to pray earnestly for the war to end, nothing will. Praying for the peace of Israel includes these things as difficult as it they can be. But prayer is definitely the best way to stop these things from happening and giving peace and comfort to these hostages and innocent hungry civilians.