While Hamas and those it rules over continue to play the victim on the world stage, they are doing nothing to bring about a realistic end to the war. Following the October 7th attacks on Israel, which killed around 1,400 people and resulted in hundreds of hostages being taken, the terrorist government of Gaza has continued to ensure further death and destruction, including breaking a temporary ceasefire in late November.

That theme continued on Christmas Day after it was revealed that Hamas had rejected a ceasefire proposal brokered not by Israel, but by Egypt, a nation that has offered support for Gaza in the past. 

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have reportedly rejected an Egyptian ceasefire proposal that would end the war.

The Palestinian factions are unwilling to consider a proposal that sees new leadership in Gaza.

The Israelis have been clear that Hamas will not control Gaza after the war.

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) December 25, 2023

This plays into something I've mentioned before, which is that the "Palestinians" want to have it both ways. On the one hand, they pretend to be oppressed victims who just want a peaceful utopia, a claim that is often repeated by intellectuals within Western circles. On the other hand, they refuse to make the slightest concession, even in the face of utter defeat, that would ensure some level of peace. How many deals over the years have various Palestinian leaders rejected that would have produced a two-state solution? How many ceasefires have they broken for no other reason than to continue their delusional intifada? 

Yet, most of the international community hand-waves all that away, pretending that it's Israel that is the biggest stumbling block to peace. It's not Israel that's running United Nations schools in Gaza teaching kids to be terrorists and to hate Jews. It's not Israel that's hijacking billions of dollars in aid to build useless terror tunnels while funneling the rest of that money to wealthy leaders in Qatar. Hamas is not a viable peace partner and never has been. If they don't step aside and allow new leadership, there can be no end to the hostilities. 

How quickly would this have all ended had the international community stood up and demanded Hamas surrender following the October 7th attacks, with a threat to cut off aid if it didn't do so? How many lives would have been saved? Instead, we got immediate denouncements of Israel and truckloads of aid driving into Gaza, almost all of which is being stolen by Hamas to keep the war going. It's one of the most asinine situations I've ever seen. 

(See: Hamas Shoots at Its Own Civilians, Killing Boy; Crowds Riot and Burn Police Station)

And all the while, the Palestinians are still infantilized as if they haven't brought most of this on themselves. With a rejection of peace should come a fresh resolve from Israel to finish Hamas. There is no other option at this point. The international community is going to kick and scream no matter what, so Israel might as well accomplish its goal while they do.