LOS ANGELES.–Everyone knows Gaza’s 2.3 million population has endured unimaginable suffering after its Hamas rulers engage in a Nazi-like genocide against Israel Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking another 250 hostages. Once Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Hamas, what did Arab states think would happen to Gaza’s population? Not one Arab state, including primary peace mediators Egypt and Qatar, have called for Hamas to leave Gaza. So, the war rages on all because a violent terror organization hangs on to Gaza at all costs, having nowhere else to go. When President Donald Trump came to office Jan. 20, he’s no longer fooling around with Hamas, telling Netanyahu to finish the job. Trump warned Hamas before taking office that if the terror group didn’t leave Gaza, there would be hell on earth with the war continuing at full strength.
Hamas has spent 20 years looting the Gaza Strip making millionaires and in some cases billionaires out of exiled leaders, living in the lap of luxury in places like Doha, Riyadh, Dubai and other capitals. What’s truly astonishing is the U.N. has not officially called for Hamas to leave Gaza at the earliest possible time, arranging exile deals for what remains of its leaders and militants. Complaints in the U.N. blame Israel for laying siege to the Gaza Strip, deliberately causing starvation, calling Israel’s tactics genocide. Yet the way to end the war and begin Gaza’s reconstruction is the demand that Hamas leave the Gaza Strip. Why has the U.N. or not one Arab state called forcefully for Hamas to leave the Gaza Strip for good? Palestinian residents crammed into makeshift tents in the south of Gaza have nowhere else to hide from Israeli last push to get rid of Hamas.
Why should Israel have to conduct more military operations in Gaza when the simple solution is for the U.N. and other Arab states to demand that Hamas get out of the tunnels and leave the strip for good? “Are we going to die this time?” said Aya, a 30-year-old Gaza resident who returned to her family in Rafah, in southern Gaza. “Are they going to displace us again,” asked Asa, pleading that the war be over. But what has the U.N. or Arab States done to pressure Hamas to leave the tunnels and accept exile deals for good? Gaza’s solution is so simple, so undeniable, so obvious, that it’s been ignored by the U.N. and Arab states. Watching bombs strike southern Gaza, Asa and other residents, they all want to know when the war will stop. Gaza residents dare not speak out against their Hamas masters without facing immediate tortured and liquidation.
Hamas uses Gaza residents as martyrs, claiming from the Ministry of Health, Israel has massacred 52,000 Gaza residents, something not confirmed by any source other than Hamas. No one knows the true numbers of Palestinians lost in war but it’s dramatically lower than what’s been reported as pure propaganda. “There’s nothing left in the Gaza Strip that has not been struck by missiles and explosive barrels, and there are still threat to expand operations,” said Gaza resident Mohammed al-Seikaly attending a funeral. “I’m asking in front of the whole world, what’s left to bomb?” al-Seikaly asked, asking the wrong question. Al-Seikaly and the Arab community should ask why has Hamas not left the Gaza Strip? Israeli and U.S. officials no longer want to play Hamas’s game of holding corpses as bargaining chips, refusing to release living hostages.
Whatever the supply issues in Gaza, it’s related to Hamas intercepting supplies and reselling them to make cash for Hamas militants. Netanyahu and Trump understand what’s going on in Gaza, knowing there’s only one solution to get rid of remaining Hamas terrorists. Netanyahu and Hamas can’t be the only ones that realize the war can’t end until Hamas leaves the Gaza Strip. Where’s the European Union when it comes to Hamas leaving Gaza? So far, Trump is the only global officials calling for Hamas to leave Gaza to end the bloodshed, but, more importantly, begin the lengthy, costly process of rebuilding. Every global power knows that Hamas has plundered the Gaza Strip for years and cannot be trusted with one penny of reconstruction cash. It’s time for the U.N. and EU to forcefully tell Hamas to return the hostages and get out of Gaza.
World officials can no longer play along with Hamas one more minute if they really want to help Palestinians. When you ask why any U.N. or Arab state would put up with Hamas with all the destruction done to Gaza, it’s clearly remnants of the same anti-Semitism that lingers from the Nazi Holocaust and still permeates parts of the Muslim world. But any responsible Arab State knows that whatever happened to Arabs living in the Holy Land in 1948, it’s water under the bridge, knowing that Israel is going nowhere. Gone are the days when Palestinians hoped they could push Israel into sea and reclaim their lost land. With Hamas living in Gaza’s tunnels, they can care less what happens to Palestinians living in pure hell on the surface. When it comes to the U.S. and EU, the time has come to tell Hamas to leave the Gaza Strip. Continuing the war serves no one, especially not Palestinians living in pure hell. Trump gave Hamas the message, now its time for the U.N. and EU to do the same.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
