This week saw the end of the return of hostages and criminals. A total of 78 Israelis and 22 others — innocent civilians who were victims of Hamas on October 7 — were released. As part of the bargain, Israel exchanged our own for 240 Palestinian prisoners — all women or teenagers — who were incarcerated for committing crimes.

And still, 136 additional souls remain somewhere in Gaza. We’ve heard reports that some are dead, with confirmation from the IDF. Some deaths, however, have not been confirmed by the IDF. Others are missing, because Hamas “gave them” to other militants to use as collateral for their own needs.

So where do we go from here? The “truce” ended and rockets are now raining down on Israel again.

Yup. More rockets. And the response? Pro-Palestinian protesters around the world — outside of Israeli embassies or consulates and outside many Jewish institutions— are yelling for “genocide” and “death to the Jews” and calling for the destruction of Israel. And yet, Hamas is shooting rockets at us…just taunting us and challenging us to fight back. So, what do these protesters want us to do? Why aren’t they demanding that Hamas stop its provocation?

Even worse, their protests are misplaced and show tremendous ignorance. Hamas is not and doesn’t care about Palestinian statehood. They are about radical Islamism and believe in the annihilation of the “infidels.” (As a related aside, where’s the universal condemnation of all terrorist organizations — all of which are Muslim with Iranian roots — that hate democracies and western values?) They will never love or care for their own people more than they hate us. So, if you want to “Save Palestine,” you should help and encourage Israel to destroy Hamas.

Bottom line? Good must triumph over evil. We must defend ourselves and fight back. We must demand the return of our innocents.

#ShabbatShalom

#BringThemBackNow