IF HAMAS IS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO EXIST, MORE ISRAELI HOSTAGES WILL BE TAKEN IN THE FUTURE

Stop the rush to a ceasefire: Hamas must be defeated, not rewarded

I buried my daughter because the world refused to confront the networks that armed and financed her killers. 

 

By Stephen M. Flatow 

 

JNS

Jul 11, 2025 

 

Stephen Flatow holds a picture of his daughter Alisa who was murdered in 1995 by a Palestinian suicide bomber 

 

As the father of Alisa Flatow, a 20-year-old woman who was murdered in 1995 by a Palestinian suicide bomber sponsored by Iran, I know too well the agony of losing a child to terrorism. I also know what happens when terrorists are given lifelines instead of life sentences. And when justice eludes the victims and their families.

That is why, even amid the anguish of Israeli hostage families pleading for their loved ones’ return, I must sound a note of caution: a ceasefire that leaves Hamas standing is not peace. It’s a guarantee of future bloodshed.

No one can look into the eyes of the parents whose sons and daughters are being held in Gaza and not be moved. As a father, I empathize deeply with their desperation. But hard experience teaches us that temporary reprieves can come at a terrible long-term cost. Calls to halt Israel’s military campaign in Gaza or to release hundreds of convicted terrorists in exchange for some—but tragically, not all, and in stages no less—of the hostages will only embolden Hamas and set the stage for the next massacre.

Israel has been down this road before. In 2011, more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were released to bring home one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Many of them went on to orchestrate or participate in attacks that murdered Israelis in cafes, buses and homes. In fact, some of those freed terrorists helped plan and execute the horrific assault on Oct. 7, 2023, which left 1,200 Israelis dead, countless others wounded, and entire communities traumatized.

Hamas is not simply a political rival. It is a genocidal organization dedicated to the eradication of Jews. Its fighters butcher civilians, commit rape and torture, and proudly hide behind children. Its charter is a document soaked in antisemitic hatred. When we talk of a ceasefire, we must understand what it means: time for Hamas to regroup, rebuild its tunnels, smuggle in fresh arms and prepare for the next round.

I have seen what happens when terror is appeased. I buried my daughter because the world refused to confront the networks that armed and financed her killers. I have spent decades watching international donors rebuild Gaza, only to see concrete meant for schools turned into terror tunnels. Each time the world presses Israel to hold back, Hamas emerges strengthened—and plots its next atrocity.

This is why the only moral, and ultimately, the most compassionate, course is to ensure Hamas is decisively defeated. A ceasefire that leaves its leadership or military infrastructure intact simply pushes off the horror to another day. And who will pay the price then? More families like mine, lighting memorial candles instead of birthday candles.

To the families of the hostages, I say: Your suffering is unbearable, and your loved ones are in all our prayers. But the surest way to bring them home safely—and to prevent future kidnappings—is by dismantling the machinery that took them captive in the first place. Every Hamas commander left alive is a ticking time bomb. Every rocket not destroyed is aimed at another family’s home.

A lasting peace cannot be built on deals with murderers who have sworn to strike again. It requires the elimination of the terror threat—root and branch. Only then can Israeli and Palestinian children alike have a chance at a future without fear.

I lost my daughter to terrorists who were allowed to flourish. Let us not make that mistake again. The world must stand firm with Israel’s right—and obligation—to finish the job and free not just today’s hostages, but future generations from Hamas’s grip.