The truth is, as is often the case, Trump is saying explicitly and clearly what Israel, after nearly two years, still has a very hard time figuring out. I’ve never spoken to a Hamas member, and I do not intend to, but I imagine a conversation with one of their leaders might go something like this…

By Rabbi Shmuel I. Silverstien

In a recent message, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be… Play to WIN or don’t play at all!”

The message circulated widely across social media and, as usual, generated a lot of discussion. Some comments included:

“I’m not sure the government’s repeated fake ultimatums support that. They want magical solutions but they also don’t want to risk the hostages’ lives.”

“Unfortunately, Israel tried to walk between the drops and wage war while keeping the hostages safe. That no longer works. It is time to act, conquering Gaza City.”

“Hamas is getting fed by Israel’s leadership. They talk about destroying Hamas, but the government sends hundreds of trucks to feed the mass murderers.”

“It looks like [Netanyahu] is ready to fold if Hamas comes with another partial deal.”

The truth is, as is often the case, Trump is saying explicitly and clearly what Israel, after nearly two years, still has a very hard time figuring out. Rabbi YY Jacobson described this very well in an article he wrote initialy titled If We Don’t Want to Win, We Will Keep Losing, where he writes:

“When we enter Gaza and then leave, only to keep on returning, over and over again, is the issue a shortage of fighters – or the lack of a decision to be decisive? Because we fear the word ‘occupation,’ our enemies know that after we win, we’ll sabotage ourselves – giving them space to rebuild and continue their war. This is not a sane military strategy. It’s cowardice. 

“The result? Our soldiers die on the front lines while fighting to subdue Gaza – only for the government to pull them back after a few weeks or months, giving Hamas a chance to regroup and return stronger. No normal army behaves like this. This war ends when we restore the will to win – total, complete, and decisive. Like Berlin, 1945.”

In recent days, Israel has decided to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, focusing on seizing Gaza City and the Central Camps, considered the last strongholds of Hamas. The IDF has mobilized up to 60,000 reservists for this operation, and in the past few days, they have begun entering some of these neighborhoods. 

It seems Israel has finally reached the conclusion that Hamas is no longer interested in any sort of deal – there’s nothing left to split regarding the hostages, and therefore the only option is to storm Gaza and occupy it completely.

Of course, only time will tell if this time will be different, or if some partial deal or world opinion will make them retreat, stop, or slow down, as has unfortunately happened so many times in the past. And unfortunately, there’s reason to believe that might happen. 

Hamas holds a powerful, almost unbelievable weapon that has eternal “life” and never runs out of “battery” – a nuclear weapon of sorts: the hostages themselves.

In the words of Israel’s foremost political commentator, Amit Segal: Hamas has used the hostages as a kind of “get out of jail free” card whenever it found itself in military trouble. Extending the Monopoly metaphor, this allowed them to send Israel back to the starting square – “GO.”

According to him:

“If IDF forces enter new areas where they haven’t previously operated, there’s a real and terrifying chance that hostages will be executed to shock Israeli public opinion and spark protests to stop the war.”

The only way to win this war is to take Hamas’s most powerful weapon and render it meaningless. That means acknowledging the difficult fact that it is very possible we may not immediately secure the return of all hostages. Right now, the focus must be solely on destroying Hamas.

Like Segal explains very eloquently:

“[Netanyahu] will have to face the public and acknowledge that [freeing the hostages] may no longer be attainable. The hostages will not be released through partial deals, surrender isn’t an option, and so there is no choice but to move forward.”

Yes, this might be a hard truth to accept, and the country will protest. But only once these words are said clearly and consistently – so that Hamas understands we mean it – will their most powerful weapon be completely dismantled, and we can obliterate them in weeks.

So long as we keep saying we are going to free the hostages, we are empowering Hamas to continue fighting, which prolongs the war and, in turn, increases global pressure on Israel. Ultimately, both the war and the hostage situation will remain unresolved. 

Once we finally declare that we are ready to win, for once and for all, with the help of Hashem, we will be able to completely dismantle Hamas. The world may scream and protest initially, but it will subside quickly, and not only will the war end, there is a real chance that we may finally bring our hostages home.

I’ve never spoken to a Hamas member, and I do not intend to, but I imagine a conversation with one of their leaders might go something like this:

Me: “Hey, how are you guys feeling today? It must be really hard with the IDF entering more and more neighborhoods. You’re down to only two battalions left?”

Hamas: “We’re doing great, Hamdilla. Everyone thought we’d be destroyed a few weeks after October 7, but 22 months later we’re still here. Israel might be stronger and better equipped, but they’re pretty dumb – we understand how Israel and their people operate better than they do themselves.”

Me: “Really? How do you keep extending this war and pushing them back, all while gaining world sympathy and increasing pressure on Israel? What’s your secret weapon?”

Hamas: “It’s really quite simple. Whenever we feel we’re losing and desperately need a break, we just say we’re ready to give back some hostages, including a long list of impossible conditions. But who reads the fine print? The average Israeli hears there’s a chance they can get their brothers back, jumps on the opportunity, and all the pressure goes to the government to meet our terms.”

Me: “Wow. But now, Netanyahu announced they’re going to completely destroy you and fully occupy Gaza.”

Hamas: “Haha. So he said. Should I count all the other things he said? In the same line where he said they’re going to dismantle us, he also said they’re going to free the hostages. So long as he uses that line, we hold all the cards and we will take them out whenever we need to.”

Me: “And what if the government finally says they’d love to bring back the hostages, but right now we have to focus on winning the war and the only way to do it is by fighting full force and forgetting everything else?”

Hamas: “Well, if they are truly playing to win, then yes – they will probably end up winning. And you know, there’s quite a big chance that they’ll get their hostages back as well.”