As the international chorus demanding a ceasefire in Gaza rises, we are being told that it is Benjamin Netanyahu who is erecting roadblocks to peace by wanting to retain control of the Philadelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt. He is also being accused of wanting to set up checkpoints along the Netzarim corridor, which splits the Gaza Strip into northern and southern zones; as well as adding conditions about the release of Palestinian prisoners in lieu of the release of some 30-odd Israeli hostages. He is being accused of recklessness for the assassination—allegedly by Israel—of the top tier of Hamas leadership, specifically of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. He is being charged with dragging the whole region into an internecine war, apparently for domestic political considerations. Even US President Joe Biden has accused him of this.
Amid this, the group that actually started the war, the Hamas, does not seem to be under any obligation to make peace by releasing the 100-odd hostages it still has in its custody. In fact, it just slaughtered six of the hostages in Gaza’s tunnels, proving that it’s not interested in peace. But then Hamas is winning the battle of narratives, where they represent the Palestinian people and are the victims of Israel’s aggression—take the anti-Semitic mayhem sweeping through American campuses as a case in point. Hamas thinks it can afford to ask for peace on its own terms, especially at a time when its military capabilities have been badly dented. The Operation Swords of Iron launched by the IDF last year after the 7 October attacks has succeeded in blunting Hamas’ lethality to a large extent. This became apparent in August, when rockets fired by Hamas did not have the intended effect of bruising Israel. So seen from Netanyahu’s perspective, any ceasefire now would amount to ceding ground to Hamas by allowing it time and space to recover and regroup, which is what it wants. As Hamas loses its military capabilities, chances are Israel will now have to brace for lone-wolf attacks targeting civilians. Hence, it is but natural that Netanyahu would want to control the crossings that have in the past proved to be a gateway for arms and ammunition to Gaza, apart from providing a likely passage to Hamas terrorists out of Gaza to safer locales.
The question here is of the humanitarian fallout of the war. There is no doubt that it’s catastrophic and has turned the tide of opinion against Israel—rather, it has been used by those against Israel as a tool to corner the Jewish state. But can there be any talk of Palestinian babies dying in Israeli bombardment, or can Israelis be accused of committing war crimes without talking about the Israeli babies spit-roasted in ovens by Hamas even when Israeli mothers were being raped and killed? And this was just one of the several acts of pure evil committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Israel did not start this war. Hamas did. They knew of the consequences of such acts of terror. They knew no country could sit back and endure such horrifying pain thrust on its citizens. But it was war that Hamas wanted, for which it was ready to sacrifice its own people.
India may be wary of describing Hamas as terrorists for fear of the consequences that Indians based in the Arab world may face, but that does not change the fact that Hamas is a terrorist group. In fact it’s a death cult, which does not care even for Palestinian lives. Hamas has been in control of Gaza ever since 2007. With all the billions of dollars that Palestinians have received in aid, Hamas could have turned Gaza into a prosperous society. Instead, it built tunnels and rockets, and brainwashed its population into becoming a part of its savagery, even as its leadership—worth billions of dollars—led a life of luxury in Qatar. There can be peace only when this death cult is eliminated, for which support must cease from outside, specifically from Iran, and from the unseen hand which is gradually inserting itself in the region—China.
Not many are speaking about it, but China has till date not condemned Hamas for the terror attack of 7 October. There is enough evidence of Chinese help in the construction of the tunnels in Gaza, of the use of Chinese weapons and rocket technology that have reached Hamas possibly via Iran. Hamas’ now dead military commander, Mohammed Deif completed his study in artillery and rocketry at a PLA engineering college in 2000.
Apparently, he was in touch with the PLA leadership throughout. China’s quiet influence peddling has resulted in the so-called reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. It is just that the unity deal that Fatah and Hamas signed in China in July 2024, saw the presence of a host of terrorist groups associated with Hamas, thus placing China firmly and openly as a supporter of terrorism. Also, in its war for supremacy with the US, it suits China to have its rival implode. Would it be wrong to describe the support that Hamas is getting in some reputed US universities—many of which are richly funded by China—as evidence of Beijing playing along the faultlines of democracies to ensure the implosion of the democratic way of life? As they say, there are wheels within wheels in this game of geopolitics. Sadly, it is