Ceasefire or Israeli Rescue Operation: which will bring the hostages home faster?

Ceasefire talks have once again taken the world’s center stage and a sense of urgency is apparent. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken labeled the latest round of negotiations as the “last opportunity to get the hostages home”. The question that lingers in all of our minds however, is whether a ceasefire is the best way to bring the hostages home and prevent more civilians from being taken hostage in the future.

Six Additional Hostages Were Killed While in Hamas Captivity

Yoram Metzger, 80,  Alexander Dancyg, 76, Avraham Munder, 79, Chaim Peri, 80, Nadav Popplewell, 51, and Yagev Buchshtab, 35. These were just a few of the men who were taken hostage by Hamas over ten months ago. As time continues to lapse following the horrific attack on October 7th, the world has begun to shift their focus. Instead of pushing to free the 109 hostages still being held in Gaza, they are instead directing their passion towards the falsely portrayed humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the potential of a larger war in the Middle East. However, for the hostages and the families of these hostages there is no bigger concern than being freed from Hamas and reuniting with their families. The question is, how can Israel free the hostages with minimum loss to Israeli lives and prevent the same situation happening in the future? 

Opinions as to how Israel should rescue the hostages are diverse; the U.S. has the viewpoint that a ceasefire deal will secure the release of the hostages (and prevent a larger war from taking place). Israel, while negotiating a hostage deal, is adamant that Hamas must be dismantled in order to ensure no civilians are taken hostage in the future. The views of the public appear to be even more diverse. A ceasefire deal looks appealing on the surface, but the reality is far more distasteful.

Why Can’t a Ceasefire Deal Work?

There have been countless ceasefires between Israel and Gaza and none of them have lasted for an extensive period of time. The latest took place in December 2023, but Hamas broke that ceasefire within a few days. While ceasefires seem to be a peaceful and long-term solution to westerners, the unfortunate reality is that solutions are not so easily implemented when in the Middle East. As the world continues to paint Israel as the unforgiving aggressor, the truth is far different. In fact, Israel does everything within its capabilities to limit civilian casualties – they always have, and they will continue to do so.

Historically, ceasefire deals have involved Israel freeing terrorists in exchange for captive Israelis. Unfortunately, this has been shown to cause more violence down the road. A prime example of this would be Yahya Sinwar; he was released from an Israeli prison in exchange for an IDF soldier who had been held hostage by Hamas for five years. Sinwar was later deemed to be the mastermind of the October 7th massacre and today is a top level target for Israel. Both the fact that the released terrorists generally participate in new terrorist activities and that Hamas regularly breaks its ceasefires with Israel indicates that they have a very small chance for success. This brings us to the more urgent question: how does Israel bring the hostages home?

Without a Ceasefire, There’s Only One Option

The only way Israel is able to approach the hostage situation is through military force. Hamas has not created a culture in which Israel is able to trust Hamas’ intentions with ceasefire deals. Their lack of integrity is to be expected since Hamas is a known terrorist organization that has stated its intention is to wipe Israel off the map – despite the world failing to recognize this critical piece of information. Israel has very limited options and the only way to ensure that the hostages are brought home and a future attack is avoided is by means of utilizing its incredibly moral military.

The concern remains on whether there is enough time for Israel to achieve its goal of freeing the captives. Currently it is believed that 36 of the 109 hostages still in Gaza have passed away since their kidnapping, highlighting that time is of the necessity and that many of the hostages’ time may be growing thin. Nations continue to dictate that since their time is running short, an agreement must be made soon, but realistically, the nations must place their own ideology to the side and allow Israel to rescue the hostages in the only way that guarantees their rescue and prevents future breach of agreements. 

The men whose bodies were retrieved had been largely forgotten by the world. They had names, families, and lives that were devoted to their own personal endeavors and passions. As the world rants that Israel is responsible for their deaths for not agreeing on a ceasefire deal sooner (though Israel has agreed to certain deals that Hamas has rejected), the only party liable and at fault was the party who kidnapped and murdered them. Israel cannot continue to be considered guilty of crimes they did not commit whilst the ones who committed the atrocity parade themselves as guiltless victims of oppression.