OPINION:
Just days after the International Court of Justice issued an opaque ruling ordering Israel to halt its operations in Rafah that risked destroying the city’s civilian population, the Israeli military was reportedly responsible for what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “a tragic accident,” part of a strike in a humanitarian area that killed 45 people.
The timing could not have been worse for the Jewish state, as the killings of civilians will likely be used to vilify Israel while the Western world continues to join the chorus of its anti-democratic enemies that have long sought to annihilate the Jewish homeland.
But while the pro-Hamas radical left and its allies in the Western media continue to illuminate the deaths of Palestinian civilians, little weight is given to Israel’s position in that the terrorist group continues to hold hostage many of the innocents it abducted on Oct. 7 after slaughtering 1,200 others.
More than 240 hostages were kidnapped by Hamas; 121 hostages remain captive by the terrorist group, which include 37 that the Israeli government believe are dead.
Those being held captive come from 29 different nations including Israel. They include women, children and older adults. Two of the hostages are Israeli soldiers, while others are a mix of civilians, foreign citizens and those holding dual nationalities. In mid-December, the White House said that eight of the hostages were Americans, three of whom were U.S. soldiers, and three of whom have since been declared dead.
Hamas has kept many of the hostages in strategic locations in the Gaza Strip to complicate Israel’s advance while others have been imprisoned in the terrorist group’s underground tunnels. One American-Israeli hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, had his left arm blown off as an incentive for the 23-year-old to plead with Mr. Netanyahu on camera for a cease-fire.
A recent video released by Hamas and published on the X social media platform by Israel depicts Hamas terrorists showcasing five female captives and calling them “sabaya,” which Israel translated as “women who can get pregnant,” while others have interpreted as “sex slaves” or as a veiled threat of rape.
Another video released this past weekend by Israeli forces depicts two captured Hamas terrorists, a father and son who boasted about gang-raping and killing one of the female hostages.
Although we can only shudder at the thought of the torture some of these hostages are still enduring and what some faced before they were murdered, what the International Court of Justice and the media seem to forget is that Israel was attacked first, and that Hamas’ terror attack is perpetual as long as it refuses to return every single hostage.
Last week, I was struck by a LinkedIn post by Yaara Segal, a former Israeli Embassy official who elicited just how little the Western world seems to care about its loyal allies in the Jewish state:
“The Israeli hostages have been betrayed and forgotten by the world. They have been forgotten by every person who says they care for human life and stays silent. By every person who tells themselves that when something unjust happens they will stand up for what is right.
“This is your cue to stand up. To speak out. Show up.
“The world’s complicity and deafening silence toward the physical and mental terrorism that has been afflicting Israelis since October 7th is noted.
“From the thousands of rockets that have not stopped for one single day since that Saturday morning, to the ongoing terror attacks in Israeli territory, to the inhumane pain inflicted on the hostages — the wounded, broken, starved and most likely raped hostages, and their families who have been desperately waiting for their return for over 229 days. The silence in the face of this evil is not only a testament to society at large — it is a daily resource fueling an evil that knows no bounds.
“I only know one thing for sure — we would have stood up for every single one of you if it was the other way around.”
To assess the accuracy of Ms. Segal’s words, consider the following:
Imagine if your loved ones traveled to Cancun, Mexico, for a vacation and were kidnapped by a drug cartel — an organization that, like Hamas, directs violence toward innocent civilians for its own gain.
Imagine learning that your parents had their throats slashed and your significant other or children were kidnapped and being held by cartel soldiers who had a history of skinning their victims alive and hanging them from the bridges of small towns in Mexico.
Imagine waiting several months for their release, or just for news, if they were still alive.
Imagine that amid U.S. efforts to rescue your wife, husband or children, the United Nations condemned Washington — not the cartels — for using military force to compel their release.
Imagine if Iran, which previously kidnapped and held Americans hostage, launched a missile attack into the southwestern U.S. — but the world suggested America was to blame.
Imagine if, even after that attack, instead of supporting the United States, the International Court of Justice issued an order instructing Washington to cease operations, despite 121 innocent Americans still being held in captivity including women who faced being raped.
Shortly after the accidental killings in Rafah, Mr. Netanyahu said: “For us, every uninvolved civilian who is hurt is a tragedy. For Hamas, it’s a strategy.”
For avoidance of any doubt, while Hamas continues to arbitrarily place Palestinians in danger by engaging in terror operations, Israel exchanged 1,027 prisoners in 2011 for just one of its own soldiers.
Which side do you think values life more?
• Jeffrey Scott Shapiro is a former Washington prosecutor who served as a senior U.S. official from 2017 to 2021. He now serves on The Washington Times’ editorial board.
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