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Beyond Borders: Why American Security Depends on Hamas’ Demise
Palestinian children compelled to participate in a Hamas military parade. Photo: Twitter.
The October 7 Hamas attack on Israel was a global wake-up call, directly threatening American national security. This calculated act of international terrorism, claiming nearly 1,200 lives and approximately 250 hostages from more than 40 nations, shattered any illusion of contained threats.
Hamas, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization and a core component of Iran’s “axis of resistance,” poses a direct imperative for American security. Its persistence sets a dangerous precedent, endangering US interests and citizens worldwide.
Hamas is an Islamist militant organization, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, explicitly committed to Israel’s destruction and the murder of Jews through jihadist violence. The October 7 attack, a chilling tactical shift, showcased its depraved disregard for human life. A core Hamas strategy is the cynical exploitation of civilian life: it deliberately embeds military assets — weapons, rockets, and extensive terror tunnels — within densely populated areas, using human shields. This calculated tactic weaponizes civilian casualties for propaganda, creating a perverse global incentive for terror groups.
Iran, Hamas’ critical benefactor, provides substantial financial, military, and political support, making Hamas integral to Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and US interests. Hamas’ actions and perceived resilience serve as a dangerous template for global terror networks. Under Hamas, Gaza became a radical Islamic entity and a haven for global jihadist organizations, with ideological convergence and operational crossovers evident with groups like Al-Qaeda. Its ability to execute large-scale assaults and survive creates an “operational success” narrative, and inspires emulation and recruitment. Innovative tactics, like using commercial drones and bulldozers to breach borders, demonstrate dangerous adaptability.
The Israel-Hamas war has profoundly reshaped the global terrorist threat, directly impacting the United States. Hamas’ brutal October 7 assault, driven by its radical Islamist ideology, has been seized upon by jihadist groups worldwide as a call to action. This perceived operational success and the group’s Islamist narrative, are actively exploited by international and domestic extremists to radicalize and recruit individuals across the United States, leveraging social media for unprecedented virtual access.
The Islamist ideology espoused by Hamas, fundamentally rejecting Western democratic ideals, directly fuels antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment. This translates into tangible plots targeting Jewish communities, pro-Israel organizations, and US government and military interests.
Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including Hamas itself and Iran-backed Hezbollah — a critical partner in Iran’s axis of resistance — have explicitly called for violence against US assets and personnel globally. Hezbollah, with its established global criminal-financial network, has actively attempted to seed operatives within the United States, posing a direct and grave danger to American lives and interests.
Beyond direct violence, the threat extends significantly into the cyber domain, identified as one of the fastest growing dangers to US national and economic security. Pro-Iranian hacktivists and state-affiliated cyber actors, often linked to the same networks supporting groups like Hamas, may conduct disruptive attacks against US networks and critical infrastructure. The broader destabilization caused by persistent terror groups like Hamas and their state sponsors imposes a significant strain on US resources, diverting funding, increasing geopolitical risk, and fueling inflation, with long-term implications for economic stability and increased defense spending.
History warns against the dangers of persistent terror groups, and unresolved conflicts fuel tension and crises. While Hamas’ ideology may persist, its capacity for violence can be constrained, turning it from a major threat to a marginal irritant.
Eliminating Hamas is a self-interested imperative for US national security. Its military capabilities pose an enduring threat, allowing it to shape political reality. Hamas has historically reconstituted after attempted defeat, emerging scarred but triumphant from security vacuums. US counterterrorism strategy mandates persistent pressure to prevent reemergence. Denying Hamas its capacity for violence, dismantling its infrastructure, and severing its funding is a necessary, pragmatic step to secure America’s long-term interests and prevent future, more costly interventions.
America must therefore act decisively, leveraging its full national power — military, intelligence, diplomatic, and financial — to ensure the complete dismantling of Hamas’ operational capabilities and infrastructure. This pragmatic, self-interested approach is essential to safeguard the nation, protect American lives, and secure a stable future against the pervasive dangers of global terrorism. To tolerate Hamas’ continued existence is to accept a world perpetually menaced by those who reject peace and embrace violence
Amine Ayoub, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. Follow him on X: @amineayoubx
The post Beyond Borders: Why American Security Depends on Hamas’ Demise first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Rubio Heads to Israel Amid Tensions Among US Middle East Allies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media, before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool
US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio headed to Israel on Saturday, amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the US and President Donald Trump were not happy about the strikes.
Rubio said the US relationship with Israel would not be affected, but that he would discuss with the Israelis how the strike would affect Trump’s desire to secure the return of all the hostages held by Hamas, get rid of the terrorists and end the Gaza war.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them. We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” he said.
“There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life that they all want.”
Rubio said it had yet to be determined who would do that, who would pay for it and who would be in charge of the process.
After Israel, Rubio is due to join Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Hamas still holds 48 hostages, and Qatar has been one of the mediators, along with the US, trying to secure a ceasefire deal that would include the captives’ release.
On Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. US officials described it as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close US ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
On Friday, Rubio met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House, underscoring competing interests in the region that Rubio will seek to balance on his trip. Later that day, US President Donald Trump held dinner with the prime minister in New York.
Rubio’s trip comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month. Countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood, a move opposed by Israel.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
ON Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Last week, the United Arab Emirates warned that this would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
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Netanyahu Posts Message Appearing to Confirm Hamas Leaders Survived Doha Strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a statement posted to social media on Saturday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Qatar-based leadership of Hamas, reiterating that the jihadist group had to regard for the lives of Gazans and represented an obstacle to ending the war and releasing the Israelis it held hostage.
The wording of Netanyahu’s message appeared to confirm that the strike targeting the Hamas leaders in Doha was not crowned with success.
“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” wrote Netanyahu. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war.” He added that “Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Israel is yet to officially comment on the result of the strike, which has incurred widespread international criticism.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.