Stop the Madness: Netanyahu Is Leading to the Death of Hostages

Earlier this week I met a friend who lives in New York. An Israeli who served in the IDF, married an American woman, and built a fine family in the United States. Recently, his daughter, a diligent student and native New Yorker, wanted to rent a small apartment in Manhattan. She went through all the usual screening stages, sent in pay slips, school documents, letters of recommendation, and then reached the final stage – a personal interview.

“Where are your parents from?” they asked her.
“Mom’s American, Dad’s Israeli. We’ve always lived in Brooklyn,” she answered.
“Oh, your father’s from Israel?” said the interviewer. “Sorry. We don’t want someone with a connection to Israel living in our apartment. We’re afraid of trouble and unrest, we don’t want to risk our property.”

This is America in 2025 – not an enemy state, not a hostile country. And this is not classic antisemitism, but a direct result of what we, as a country, are doing. The most frightening thing is that right now, the Israeli government is pushing us into a much deeper abyss, one we may not be able to climb out of in our lifetime. The insane decision to fully occupy the Gaza Strip – not a targeted action, not a rescue, not a diplomatic move – but a total occupation, is not only strategic madness but an irreversible step that could erase Israel as we know it.

This is not an interpretation; it is a clear warning from every senior figure in the security establishment across generations, from political experts, from our regional and international partners. Such an occupation, as planned by Netanyahu and his aides and servants – an occupation without any real purpose and entirely based on the messianic delusions of the religious Zionist movement and Netanyahu’s own survival instincts to preserve his coalition – will lead to complete destruction: a deep rift in the army, the breakdown of social unity, total international isolation, and unprecedented economic collapse in Israel’s history.

We experience the damage of Netanyahu’s reckless policies every day. Recently, we heard of the cancellation of trade agreements and the freezing of European research grants. We’ve seen tariff hikes leading to a loss of around $1.5 billion. International companies are ceasing operations here. And the world, including our traditional allies, no longer hides its disgust with us.

In the art of eye-rolling and the use of euphemisms, the conman Netanyahu claims that the goal of the occupation is “achieving the war’s objectives,” including the release of the hostages. But it has already been proven beyond any doubt that “military pressure” doesn’t free hostages – it kills them. Exactly one year ago, we saw the results in the deaths of the “magnificent six” in the Rafah tunnel – Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, and Almog Sarusi. They survived more than 200 days of hell – torture, starvation – and in the end, they were killed because of the decision to deploy the IDF in the area where they were held, exactly as many had warned.

And now, with eyes wide open, Netanyahu alone – despite all the warnings and despite the Chief of Staff’s repeated objections – decides to lead to the deaths of more hostages. This is a harsh statement, but there is no avoiding the conclusion that for Smotrich and his representative in the Prime Minister’s Office, the death of hostages is not collateral damage but a release from a burden.

Unfortunately, it seems the Israeli public is too tired to react. When Minister Yoav Gallant was first fired, hundreds of thousands filled the streets. After the deaths of the six hostages, tens of thousands demonstrated, calling for a ceasefire agreement. Now, when Netanyahu’s government is taking even more destructive and insane steps – only a handful protest.

With cynicism and skill, Netanyahu has cooked us all like the proverbial frog in the pot – the heat rises and rises, and we’ve reached boiling point already exhausted and defeated. Netanyahu’s terror against Israeli citizens worked: a shocking statement every day, a provocation every week, a radical vote every month. Constant incitement, and a pack of attack dogs and poison tentacles in the media and on social networks – ready to act immediately.

We had an alternative – it’s still on the table: the civilian reconstruction of Gaza while disarming Hamas, under regional sponsorship and with international support. All the serious players are there, but Netanyahu, afraid of losing his seat, is charging toward the abyss and taking us all with him. “Let the state burn,” his wife once said – and he stands with the jerrycan and lighter in hand.

There’s no need to remind, but I’ll remind anyway, how similar this is to the events that led to October 7: the same disregard, the same arrogance, the same approach leading the country toward a foreseeable disaster. If we allow this to happen – the army, the security service, the major employers – we will no longer be able to say we didn’t know. Netanyahu is guilty, but in our silence – we are all responsible.

In the history of nations, there has never been such folly – sacrificing an entire nation for the political fate of one man; and we are the ones who must put an end to it.