"This council, which has taken no real steps to advance the release of our hostages, bowed its head for a man responsible for massacring and murdering thousands in Iran, Israel, and around the world," Israeli ambassador to the UN protested.
Hamas denounced on Monday a decision of the International Criminal Court's prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for three of its leaders and demanded that the request be canceled. Less than a year before the October attack, Sinwar had told a rally in Gaza that Hamas would deploy a "flood" of fighters and rockets against Israel. His speech, while containing typical "crowd-pleasing hyperbole", proved to be an ominous foreshadowing.
Disturbing and chilling: IDF forces discovered footage in Gaza shot while the sisters were captive. “I’m Hamas’ hostage,” said 8-year-old Ella in the video.
The conventional wisdom is that the strike aimed to hit a weapons shipment in Iran's "weapons corridor" destined for Hezbollah, but Israel has not confirmed that.
Israel did not enter this war to find a replacement for Hamas but to destroy it. That is the goal, not the means. Moreover, it is not at all clear that imposing the "Palestinian Authority," which aside from its many flaws would also allow Hamas' survival and recovery, is preferable to the alternatives.
