In one of the bravest rescue missions ever performed by Israel, in broad daylight, Israeli commandos stormed and saved the lives of 4 Israeli hostages. It was an intricate operation performed with many units that coordinated to surprise and trick the Hamas enemy, and then raid the home where the hostages were inside. The positions of Hamas are heavily fortified, both above and under ground. But somehow the Israeli commandos succeeded in overcoming all of the obstacles to reach their goal of freeing the hostages.
There are still around 120 Israeli hostages that are being held captive by Hamas. Every Israeli soldier is driven to free the hostages, even though most of the hostages are probably not even alive. But returning bodies for a respectful burial is also an important value.
It is perfectly reasonable for the families of the remaining hostages to be demanding that their loved ones are returned at all costs. However, if the cost of an agreement means allowing Hamas to NOT be destroyed, then it is morally wrong to cut a deal with Hamas in order to free the remaining hostages.
In today’s situation in Israel, the best chance of returning the rest of the Israeli hostages is not to agree to an end to the war with Hamas. The only thing that will enhance Israel’s chance of destroying the threat from Gaza once and for all is to destroy Hamas. The only thing that will restore Israel’s ability to scare the living daylights out of their foes is when other terrorist groups like Hizbullah look at how Israel eradicated Hamas and decide to not be the next victim on the list.
Nikki Haley said it best – finish them.