The morning of October 7th, 2023 revealed a calculated, depraved assault on human dignity. Beyond massacres and abductions, Hamas militants systematically employed sexual violence as a weapon of terror. This was a deliberate, planned strategy to inflict profound trauma, intended to terrify and humiliate victims.
Investigations confirm these sexual crimes were part of the planning, systematically used as a tactical weapon of war, and constitute crimes against humanity. This moral chasm makes negotiation with such an entity not only reprehensible but strategically futile.
Sexual Violence: A Deliberate Act of Jihad
Evidence of sexual violence on October 7th is extensive, occurring at the Nova music festival, kibbutzim, IDF bases, and against hostages in Gaza. Investigations confirm systematic patterns: victims were found bound, naked, with evidence of gang rape, often followed by execution, genital mutilation, and public humiliation. The UN Special Representative reported "reasonable grounds to believe" such violence occurred and may continue against hostages. The European Union sanctioned Hamas, citing widespread, systematic sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war.
These acts align with Hamas’s extremist interpretation of jihad. Their 1988 Charter declares violence against Israel a religious obligation, stating no solution exists except through jihad. These planned sexual atrocities are a brutal expression of their religiously mandated struggle. The silencing of victims, through murder or trauma, highlights a deliberate tactic to maximize terror and obstruct justice.
Hamas's Ideology: An Unyielding Barrier to Peace
Hamas’s foundational ideology, rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, is an unyielding barrier to peace. This fundamentalist Islamist movement rejects Israel’s right to exist, opposes territorial compromise, and seeks an Islamic state across Israeli territory gained through violence. Their concept of jihad is an offensive, existential struggle against Jews and Israel, viewing the Palestine Arab issue as a religious one. This religiously driven ideology is incompatible with any negotiation aiming for lasting peace or any solution.
Hamas rejects peace with Israel and opposes democratic values; its strategic purpose is Israel's destruction. This is not a negotiating position but a non-negotiable stance. Negotiating risks legitimizing Hamas as a rational actor. Normalizing Hamas, a designated terrorist organization , threatens regional and global security, potentially inspiring similar attacks worldwide.
The Futility of Negotiation: Lessons from a Terrorist Entity
Direct negotiations with Hamas are neither viable nor ethical. Such engagement would legitimize a designated terrorist organization, boosting its international standing and solidifying its control in Gaza and potentially the 'West Bank'. This would weaken moderate Palestinian Arab alternatives, undermining prospects for a solution. Negotiating with terrorists rewards and incentivizes violence, creating a dangerous cycle where brutality is seen as effective.
Hamas’s unwillingness to compromise is evident; they view hostages as bargaining chips, refusing to disband or disarm. Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas’s rule and capabilities, while Hamas demands full IDF withdrawal and vows not to disband. These antithetical objectives create an irreconcilable roadblock to any meaningful peace. Hamas’s transactional approach, using human lives for its survival and future capacity for violence, ensures negotiations preserve its ability for future attacks.
The Imperative of Elimination: Securing a Future Free from Terror
The complete elimination of Hamas’s military and political infrastructure is the only viable long-term solution for genuine, lasting security for Israel and the region.
This serves as the ultimate deterrent against future atrocities. Allowing Hamas to survive, especially after weaponizing sexual violence as jihad, would send a dangerous global message, emboldening other extremist groups. As MK Simcha Rothman warned, Hamas’s survival post-October 7th would encourage similar attacks globally. The fight against Hamas has far-reaching implications for international security. Israel’s objective is clear: eliminate Hamas’s rule and capabilities to ensure Gaza no longer poses a threat.
While military dismantling is immediate, establishing a stable post-Hamas Gaza is complex. As Yair Golan noted, defeating Hamas requires both dismantling its infrastructure and creating a functioning alternative. The immediate, non-negotiable imperative remains the complete dismantling of the organization.
A Call for Unwavering Resolve
The systematic sexual violence on October 7th, confirmed by international bodies and Israeli investigations, was a deliberate act of jihad, rooted in Hamas’s extremist ideology. Hamas’s explicit rejection of peace, compromise, and human decency makes negotiation impossible and counterproductive. The barbarity and systematic nature of this sexual violence, particularly its ideological justification, elevate the issue beyond typical geopolitics. As returned hostage Ilana Gritzewsky testified, the atrocities happened and continue to affect victims.
This testimony, combined with overwhelming evidence of planned sexual crimes, creates a moral imperative overriding political hesitations. Negotiating with an organization that employs such depravity as a deliberate tool of war, justified by its core beliefs, betrays victims and legitimizes these acts. The only path to justice and enduring security is an unwavering commitment to the complete elimination of Hamas’s capabilities and rule.