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Why a Ceasefire with Hamas Is a Dangerous Illusion
Thousands of supporters of hostage families gather in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as three hostages are returned to Israel. Photo: Paulina Patimer / Hostages Families Forum
The recently brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas offers a temporary halt to the violence, but fails to address the deeper issues sustaining the conflict.
While this “deal” may provide momentary relief for civilians caught in the crossfire, it does not tackle the underlying dynamics that perpetuate hostilities. Hamas’ history of extreme violence, combined with its ideological commitment to Israel’s destruction, makes a ceasefire not only insufficient but potentially harmful. For lasting peace, Hamas must be decisively dismantled.
Hamas has consistently pursued a strategy of violence to achieve its goals, treating diplomacy as an obstacle to its ideological objectives.
Unlike political entities that may embrace dialogue, Hamas is rooted in an uncompromising belief in armed resistance. This ideology is not merely rhetoric; it has been actively demonstrated through decades of attacks, including indiscriminate rocket fire, suicide bombings, and cross-border incursions targeting civilians.
The October 7 attack, the deadliest day in Israeli history, exemplifies the group’s brutality. It was not a spontaneous act, but a meticulously planned operation aimed at causing maximum casualties. Approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed, and hundreds were taken hostage. Such actions underscore Hamas’ willingness to disregard international norms and basic human decency.
These attacks are not isolated incidents. They form part of Hamas’ broader strategy to destabilize the region and undermine any prospects for peace. Its only goal is to eliminate the State of Israel and replace it with an Islamic theocracy. This extremist vision leaves little room for compromise, making any attempts at reconciliation futile.
Ceasefires may offer a temporary reprieve from violence, but history has shown that they often serve as strategic pauses for Hamas to regroup and rearm. Instead of marking progress toward peace, these pauses are used to build tunnels, replenish rocket supplies, and recruit new fighters. This cycle of violence ensures that every ceasefire is merely a prelude to the next escalation.
Moreover, ceasefires risk sending the wrong message. They can be perceived as a reward for violence, reinforcing Hamas’ belief that aggression yields political and strategic gains. This dynamic not only emboldens Hamas, but also undermines Israel’s efforts to secure long-term safety for its citizens. Without question, the horrible concessions Hamas has achieved by taking 250 Israelis hostages will lead them to take more Israeli hostages in the future.
The illusion of peace created by ceasefires can be especially dangerous for the international community, which may mistake temporary calm for genuine progress. Without a comprehensive plan to address Hamas’ capacity for violence, these agreements are little more than stopgap measures that leave the root problem intact.
The absence of a clear strategy for Gaza’s governance and security during ceasefire negotiations further complicates the situation, ensuring that tensions remain high.
Hamas’ violent ideology and actions are incompatible with the principles of coexistence and peace. As long as the group maintains its operational capabilities, the region will remain trapped in an endless cycle of bloodshed. Neutralizing Hamas is not just a matter of Israel’s security, but a necessity for broader regional stability.
Dismantling Hamas involves more than military operations, although these are an essential component. Israel and its allies must target the group’s leadership, weapon stockpiles, and financial networks. Precision strikes can degrade Hamas’ ability to launch attacks, but military measures alone cannot ensure lasting peace.
Politically, the international community must take a firm stance against Hamas, recognizing it as a terrorist organization that thrives on instability. Nations must cut off funding streams and pressure countries that provide sanctuary to Hamas leaders.
Economic development is another critical piece of the puzzle. Poverty and despair create fertile ground for extremism, and Hamas has exploited these conditions to garner support. By investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, the international community can provide opportunities that diminish the appeal of radical ideologies.
Additionally, countering Hamas’ propaganda machine is essential. The group relies on a narrative of victimhood and resistance to justify its actions. By promoting moderate voices, and exposing the devastating consequences of Hamas’ policies, a more balanced perspective can take root .
The international community has a crucial role to play in dismantling Hamas and fostering conditions for peace. It must move beyond the simplistic notion that ceasefires are sufficient to end the conflict. Instead, a long-term approach is needed — one that combines military action with diplomatic efforts and humanitarian aid.
Key players, including the United States, the European Union, and Arab states, must work together to isolate Hamas diplomatically and economically.
Neutralizing Hamas is not merely a military objective; it is a prerequisite for peace. By combining targeted operations with efforts to promote economic development and political reform, the region can move toward a future free from the grip of extremism. Only through decisive action can the cycle of violence be broken, paving the way for a brighter and more stable Middle East.
Amine Ayoub, a Middle East Forum fellow, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco
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Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials
FILE PHOTO: The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iranian and Iran-affiliated media claimed on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence materials related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.
“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” Iran’s state broadcaster said, referring to Israel in the manner accepted in those Muslim or Arab states that don’t recognize its legitimacy. The statement was also relayed by the Lebanese site Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with the Iran-backed jihadists of Hezbollah.
The reports did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.
The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it added.
According to the reports, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation and included a vast volume of materials including documents, images, and videos.”
The report comes amid high tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, over which it is in talks with the US administration of President Donald Trump.
Iranian-Israeli tensions reached an all-time high since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, including Iranian rocket fire on Israel and Israeli aerial raids in Iran that devastated much of the regime’s air defenses.
Israel, which regards the prospect of the antisemitic mullah regime obtaining a nuclear weapon as an existential threat, has indicated it could resort to a military strike against Iran’s installations should talks fail to curb uranium enrichment.
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Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.
Nattapong Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian terrorist group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.
Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
Israel’s military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week.
There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive.
The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase.
Israel has since expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.
US-BACKED AID GROUP HALTS DISTRIBUTIONS
The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling.
Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. It was unclear whether aid had resumed on Saturday.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided around 9 million meals so far.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.
The war erupted after Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.
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US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.
The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.
The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.
The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.
The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.
The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.
While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.
The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.
USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.
One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.
The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.
Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.
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