Time for an Israeli Ultimatum

Feb 23, 2025 12:54 pm | Ticker, Virtual Jerusalem, VJ Views

No more propaganda games or humiliation or torture—Hamas must return all hostages by a date certain or face swift annihilation rather than imminent mandatory exile. It’s high time that the lions of Judah are unleashed to be victors, not victims!

As Phase A of the ceasefire deal reaches its inevitable dead end and Phase B is derailed by Hamas’s grotesque displays of hostage humiliation, Israel faces a decisive moment. The time for patience and negotiation is over. It is time for an ultimatum: all hostages back, or all hell breaks loose.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners until Hamas upholds its end of the agreement is a long-overdue correction to Israel’s approach. The Prime Minister’s Office stated: “Due to Hamas’ repeated violations—including ceremonies that disgrace our hostages’ dignity and the cynical use of hostages for propaganda purposes—it has been decided to delay the release of the terrorists planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages is ensured, without the degrading ceremonies.” This is a welcome but insufficient step. It is not enough to suspend the release of prisoners; it is time to shift from defense to offense.

Hamas has spent decades mastering the art of manipulating Western sympathies, turning the brutalization of Israeli civilians into a grotesque PR campaign. The staged hostage handovers, where visibly shaken Israelis are paraded for the cameras, are not acts of diplomacy—they are acts of psychological warfare. And Israel’s repeated concessions in past deals have only emboldened Hamas to continue playing this cynical game.

Donald Trump understood this reality when he suggested his own ultimatum to Hamas: return all hostages, or suffer the consequences. The Biden administration, in contrast, has been content to play the appeasement game, sending signals of weakness and granting Hamas the leverage it craves. That must end. Israel should take a page from Trump’s playbook: make it unmistakably clear that there will be no more ceasefires, no more prisoner swaps, no more tactical pauses—only the complete and unconditional return of all Israeli hostages. Any further delays will be met with the full force of Israeli military power.

Some in the international community will recoil at the idea of an Israeli ultimatum, clutching their pearls at the notion of abandoning “diplomatic solutions.” But let’s be honest—what diplomatic solutions? The current situation is not a negotiation between equals. It is a hostage crisis, and in such crises, strength—not compromise—determines the outcome.

This is not just about securing the release of those still held captive. It is about setting a precedent that Israel will not be blackmailed or humiliated. Hamas must understand that hostage-taking will no longer serve as a bargaining chip but rather as an accelerant to its own destruction. If the terrorist group refuses to comply, then Israel should make clear that no location in Gaza will be off-limits, no Hamas leader will be safe, and no Western pressure will dictate its actions.

Israel has reached the breaking point. Now is the time to act. The choice is Hamas’s: return all hostages immediately, or prepare for an offensive of unprecedented ferocity. There can be no middle ground. Either all come home, or all hell breaks loose.

If Bibi can’t do what must be done, he should step aside and let one who is aligned with Trump’s strategy take the reins. It’s not just in Gaza and southern Lebanon but all over Judea and Samaria where the latest threats are taking shape.

Now is the time to strike, swiftly and ruthlessly. But give the innocent 48 hours to clear out, after which any human remaining will be treated as an enemy combatant.

Hamas and its supporters must be expelled from every inch of land under Israel’s control. If they refuse this final ultimatum, they will meet the fate they seek—utter destruction and obliteration.

1 Comment

  1. DAVID B OLDHAM

    Have nothing to do with pay to slay Jews Fatah and it is time to kick those Islamist Hamas/Gazan butchers into hell. They are butchers and playing their torture kill games should not be in any plans. Be strong Netanyahu for God is with you. Wipe the Hamas terrorist vermin of swine out. God bless you all Israel.