With hostages starving in Gaza, Western leaders from Canada to Europe rush to reward Hamas with statehood, blame Israel for war crimes, and embolden terror—all without demanding a single concession. Meanwhile, 20 remining hostages are starved and tortured, while Israel gets blamed.

Hamas continues to play a brutal waiting game—one it believes it’s winning. Despite being under siege militarily and reviled for its atrocities, the terror group faces no serious demand to release its hostages or surrender. Why should it? From its perspective, the world is handing it political victories without forcing a single concession.

Since October 7, Hamas has used savagery not just as a weapon against Israel, but as a strategic tool for global manipulation. It commits acts of unspeakable cruelty—filming hostages digging their own graves, releasing videos of captives emaciated from starvation—and then hides behind the rhetoric of “resistance” and “occupation.” And shockingly, the free world is falling for it.

Instead of uniting behind Israel’s right to dismantle a genocidal terror regime, nations like France, Spain, Ireland, Norway, and Canada have chosen to reward Hamas with premature recognition of a Palestinian state. Fifty hostages remain in Gaza. Only about twenty are believed to be alive. Yet there is no outrage at their continued captivity. No UN emergency session demanding their release. No pressure on Hamas to accept a ceasefire or allow Red Cross access. The blame falls squarely—and absurdly—on Israel.

Canadian Prime Minister Carney, UK PM Starmer, French President Macron, and Spanish PM Sánchez have all taken turns moralizing to Israel, accusing it of “indiscriminate bombing,” “starvation,” and “war crimes”—all while their governments rush toward legitimizing a Palestinian state that, in practice, would reward Hamas with diplomatic status.

This is not diplomacy. It is appeasement.

And in stark contrast stands former U.S. President Donald Trump, one of the only global leaders who has dared to call out the truth behind the fog of war. Speaking in Scotland last week, Trump rejected the claims of genocide outright: “There is no genocide. What happened on October 7 was a massacre, and Israel has the absolute right to defend itself. There’s deprivation in Gaza, but starvation is a lie. Israel is sending in aid daily. No one says thank you.”

Trump also highlighted the moral incoherence of the Western response: “You have people talking about peace, while they’re rewarding the people who butchered Jews. That’s not peace. That’s surrender. Hamas should be crushed, not consulted.”

These words resonated deeply in Israel, where the government continues to walk a tightrope—delivering over 400 aid trucks per day into Gaza while burying its own soldiers and civilians. The Israeli people know exactly what kind of enemy they face. But it is the indifference of Western democracies that stings even more.

The moral compass of the West has been flipped upside down. The same governments that claim to defend human rights turn a blind eye to Hamas’s crimes: the use of hospitals and mosques as weapons depots, the murder and abuse of hostages, the cynical manipulation of aid convoys. Instead, they target the only liberal democracy in the Middle East—one that is fighting a war not by choice, but in response to the worst mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust.

European leaders invoke the language of humanitarianism, but not to protect the victims. When Israel releases footage of Hamas fighters operating out of UN facilities, the response is muted. When Hamas boasts about its October 7 rampage, no condemnation follows. But when Israel targets a known terrorist in a precision strike, outrage erupts from Paris to Ottawa.

The result is that Hamas has no reason to compromise. Every delay is a win. Every rejected deal brings more time. Every false accusation against Israel fuels international pressure—pressure that is never applied to Hamas. The group sees no downside in prolonging the war. Its leaders remain untouched in Qatar. Its foreign backers continue to funnel funds. And its strategy of maximizing Palestinian suffering while showcasing Israeli restraint has fooled much of the world.

Trump’s stance isn’t just morally clear—it’s strategically sound. “You can’t make peace with terrorists who want to kill you,” he said. “You defeat them. Then maybe you talk—if there’s anyone left worth talking to.”

That is the reality Israel faces. And yet, the governments of Europe and Canada continue to live in fantasy. They speak of peace, while strengthening Hamas. They condemn Israeli actions, while ignoring Israeli victims. They rush to reward the idea of a Palestinian state, while sidestepping the fact that its de facto government remains a designated terrorist organization that openly calls for genocide.

Hamas has no incentive to release the hostages. It has no reason to accept a ceasefire. Why would it? The world is handing it everything it wants for free—recognition, sympathy, leverage—while its captives starve in tunnels and its leaders gloat in Doha.

This is not how peace is made. It is how terror is emboldened.

And unless more leaders begin to speak with the same moral clarity as Donald Trump, the agony will continue—not because Hamas is strong, but because the West is weak.