Netanyahu is not “f*cking negative”, he is realistic

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, was intended to take away from Israelis their sense of security, and it succeeded, at least for now. A few days after the attack, Yossi Klein Halevi wrote, “Even more than the atrocities themselves, what was so – yes – unbearable to many of us was the helplessness of our fellow Israelis”. He also wrote, “This is a war to restore Israeli deterrence”.

But the restoration of deterrence is very much into question. Clearly, Hamas was not deterred before the attack, otherwise it would not have attacked. And it does not seem to be deterred now either, otherwise it would readily accept US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan because it at least allows Hamas members to save their skins.

But there is no indication that Hamas has given up the fight. Their intention to commit more and more October 7’s is very much alive. And why would it not be? Everything that Hamas has ever done indicates that they are single-minded in their obsession with attacking Israel.

When Hamas took control of Gaza, it did not build an economy. It built tunnels. It did not launch trade opportunities with other countries. It launched rockets at Israel. Every ounce of energy and every dollar at the disposal of Hamas have gone towards war against Israel. If Hamas agrees to disarm and to step back from governing Gaza, it loses its reason to exist. For Hamas, it is full-fledged suicide.

This is why any hope that Hamas will willingly release all hostages anytime soon is badly misguided. Hamas used Trump’s plan to delay the IDF takeover of Gaza City, period. It is extremely naïve to expect that they will release all hostages without getting in return what they want: the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza and the freedom to rebuild their forces so that they can attack Israel again at the time of their choosing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows this, and he knows that his responsibility is making sure that Hamas cannot attack Israel again, which is why he was skeptical about Hamas’ response to Trump’s plan. Contrary to what Trump is reported to have said, Netanyahu is not “f*cking negative”. He is just realistic, and he takes his responsibility seriously, as any Israeli prime minister would.

The same report also said that “Trump expected Hamas to reject the plan, and was pleasantly surprised by the terror group’s response”. Trump should not have been surprised. The IDF takeover of Gaza City was progressing well, and Hamas was desperate to stop it or at least delay it. Trump’s plan gave them that opportunity. All that Hamas had to do was to agree to some of the plan and ask to negotiate the rest.

It seems that Trump fell into the trap. He announced that Hamas was “ready for peace”, and he asked Israel to “immediately stop bombing of Gaza”.

It is perhaps hard for some people who have lived in the West all their lives to understand Hamas’ mindset. Netanyahu clearly understands it. Trump apparently does not.

Hamas has never been ready for peace and will never be ready for peace. The only way that there will be peace in Gaza is if Hamas is weakened to the point where its agreement to peace is only a formality because it can no longer wage war. That is clearly not the case now. The IDF just found in Gaza more long-range rockets ready to launch towards Israel, and there are still many terror tunnels that remain.

Hamas’ ability to wage war is not gone yet, and that must happen before there is peace. Israel needs to finish Hamas, and then after that, the US, Israel, and moderate Arab countries can plan the future of Gaza. Not before.

Trying to plan the future of Gaza before Hamas is destroyed is delusional and achieves nothing other than delaying the end of the war.

Update on October 9, 2025:

I am glad to have been wrong in saying that an agreement with Hamas was not possible. Although it seems as reported in the Jerusalem Post that “No one believes that Hamas will be fully disarmed with the war ending at this point”, it also seems that the war is ending mostly on Israel’s term, and Hamas’ ability to regroup and become the significant force that it was in the past is unlikely although not impossible. It may take a few months or even a few years before the future of Hamas and the future of Gaza are clear. Israel still has a long way to go.

But one fact that is crystal clear is that the main credit for any achievements in this war goes to the Israeli people, including its soldiers, its mothers, its fathers, its workers, and its politicians. Without their hard work and perseverance, Hamas would never have compromised as much as it has. Many others will try to claim credit for these achievements that will benefit Israelis, Palestinians, and possibly the whole Middle East, and US President Donald Trump certainly deserves some credit, but if a peace prize is awarded to anyone as a result of this peace agreement, it should be awarded to the people of Israel.