OPINION:
The groundswell of support for the residents of the Gaza Strip — as shown through massive demonstrations both in the United States and throughout the rest of the world — indicate the tough road Israel must travel in its fight to survive as the court of public opinion turns against it (“With no endgame in sight, Israel invites blowback to justified retaliation,” web, Nov. 1).
On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdering and maiming innocent civilians with particular savagery. The terrorists also took hundreds of hostages. They demonstrated no humanity, taking men, women, the elderly, the sick, children and infants.
They not only celebrated their murderous spree, but recently vowed to repeat it time and again. Where are the massive protests against Hamas, whose stated goal is to wipe Israel from the face of the Earth?
Prominent elected officials who are either naive or opposed to Israel defending itself have demanded an immediate cease-fire, which would only enable Hamas to strengthen and regroup for more acts of barbarism.
If you believe that Israel has a right to exist, then Hamas must be destroyed. The task is made infinitely more difficult by virtue of the terrorists hiding among civilians and having hostages to use as a bargaining chip.
Most of the world sympathizes with the Palestinian civilians who have been killed or injured in Israeli airstrikes and those whose lives have been uprooted. One organization is to blame for all of it: Hamas.
OREN SPIEGLER
Peters Township, Pennsylvania
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