Public sentiment around the Hamas hostages and Gaza conflict shows a deep divide, with strong reactions both critical of Hamas and the Israeli government's actions. While many express support for decisive military action against Hamas, viewing them as responsible for the hostage crisis, there are significant voices advocating for humanitarian considerations and immediate negotiation. On one hand, some commenters support Israel's military strategy as necessary for security, while others condemn both parties for failing to prioritize the safety of the hostages and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas

Israeli Government

International Community

**Hi everyone,**

**'Discussion' posts require users to choose an appropriate flair in order to participate. Here's how you can pick a flair:**

**https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205242695-How-do-I-get-user-flair**

**Please remember the human &amp; be courteous to others. Thanks!**

---

|Archived links |Video links (if applicable)
|:--:|:--:
|[Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/99991231235959//r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/) |[RedditSave](https://redditsave.com/info?url=https://www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/)
|[Archive.is](http://archive.is/submit/?url=/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/) |[SaveMP4](https://savemp4.red/?url=https://www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/)
|[12ft.io](https://12ft.io//r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/) |[SaveRedd.it](https://saveredd.it/?url=https://www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/)
|[Ghostarchive.org](https://ghostarchive.org/archive?url=/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/) |[Viddit.red](https://viddit.red/?url=https://www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1m8h2ue/how_should_i_answer_to_someone_who_asks_me_why/)


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JewsOfConscience) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

You’ve clearly gotten more backup to serious rebuttal here from others, and that stuff is undeniably good to know, but I just wanted to add that the “real” response to a question like this isn’t more debate. If at this point, they still think it’s about the hostages, they’re just not a serious person. They’re a fascist who has no interest in any good faith debate. They just want a half-assed “gotcha” that ends the discussion. But whichever way you go, good luck.

KnotAReplicant

I feel like “but the hostages” has become a thought-terminating cliche people can employ when they’re feeling uncomfortable about the more blatantly evil Israeli war crimes. Like … what about them? You think they’re benefiting from all of this?

Ironically, one of Hamas’s professed main goals for taking hostages in the first place was to exchange them for thousands in Israeli prisons. In other words, they did 10/7 for THEIR hostages. Now personally I don’t believe that hostage rescue justifies war crimes … but Israeli apologists apparently do.

gjanegoodall

[deleted]

Israel had a deal to free the hostages.  Israel backed out of it to re-start the bombings.

Far_Silver

Israel would have rather the hostages have died on Oct 7th, is the sad truth. They have no interest in having the hostages back home. Israels done more to hurt the hostages then Hamas ever could

rveb

All of the remaining hostages are military personnel making them prisoners not hostages.  No surprise that barely anyone knows this. It’s much easier to change to this topic than to try to argue that starving nearly 2 million people and shooting 50-100 people waiting for food rations a day is okay.

Copyrightlawyer42069

Civilians should never suffer, starve, and be killed because of the acts of a militant group.

Vivid24

"how many Palestinian lives are worth one Israeli life? is it 10? 20? 100?" because that's essentially the question they're proposing. There are 50 hostages left and since May Israel has killed \~20 times that amount of Palestinians who were committing the crime of trying to get food and medical aid.

  
[https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5477365/israel-gaza-aid-casualties](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5477365/israel-gaza-aid-casualties)

  
the real question is "why won't israel stop killing civilians?"

dingo-liberty

On July 18, 2025, Hamas published a video statement in which spokesperson Abu Obeida declared that Israel had rejected a ceasefire deal that would have released all remaining captives in Gaza. According to Hamas, it had previously offered a comprehensive agreement that included freeing every hostage—but was turned down by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his ministers  [source 1](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/18/hamas-says-israel-rejected-ceasefire-deal-releasing-all-captives-in-gaza), [source 2](https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-responds-to-gaza-truce-offer-with-unacceptable-new-demands-mediators/), [source 3](https://www.axios.com/2025/07/24/gaza-ceasefire-talks-israel-recall-negotiators), there many more sources you can google. 

Based on credible reporting, here are prominent instances where Hamas proposed hostage releases, but Israel refused:

	1.	Early October 2023: Hamas offered to release all civilian hostages (no military captives) if Israel ceased invasion; Israel declined

	2.	October 21, 2023: Hamas claimed it offered to release two hostages (due to humanitarian conditions), which Israel refused to accept

	3.	November 8–9, 2023: Hamas offered 10–15 hostages in exchange for a short humanitarian pause; Israel said no

	4.	November 13, 2023: Offered release of up to 70 women and children hostages for a five‑day truce and release of 275 Israeli-held children and women (or similar); Israel didn’t proceed

	5.	November 30, 2023: Hamas offered to release Yarden Bibas (along with bodies of family members); Israel refused, demanding live hostages first

	6.	April 17, 2025: Hamas offered to release all remaining hostages as part of a war‑ending deal; Israel rejected a condition to disarm first and other demands

	7.	July 2025 (Doha talks): Hamas refused U.S.-mediated proposal to exchange 10 living and 18 dead hostages for Palestinian prisoners, saying it fell short of earlier demands; Israel had accepted but the deal failed

Israel does not want peace. They want to continue their genocide.

G3nX43v3r

Because once they do the genocide will proceed at full speed. Fascist agreements, as history shows, cannot be trusted.

bengalistiger

Tell them the hostages could have been released days after October 7th if Israel had released the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held under military law with no legal access. That is the deal Hamas put on the table to allow the Palestinian hostages free Life pre Christmas.
Look it up.

jbabuelo

The resistance in Gaza has offered to release hostages to end the war on extermination multiple times, and "Israel" has multiple times made it clear that isn't acceptable. In fact, the war leadership has said even lying about a permanent ceasefire to release the hostages and then start the genocide all over again is intolerable. "Israel" does not give a fuck about hostages. That's why the Hannibal directive is a thing. The reason Hamas takes "Israeli" hostages is to later exchange them for Palestinian prisoners. This happened with Gilad Shalit back in 2011 and more recently earlier this year. If "Israel" didn't break the ceasefire a few months back, they would have gotten all of their hostages home by now. But the Zionist regime doesn't want that, since they'd have to release prominent Palestinian prisoners. There were reports of the likes of Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Sa'adat being freed in later phases of the ceasefire. And Bibi would shit and piss his pants simultaneously at that thought. Plus, keeping the war going perpetually is the only way he can stay in office. Bibi knows damn well he'd be in jail if he was booted out. For corruption most likely, but there's also the fact he's an internationally wanted war criminal. As Lebanon was the "Israeli" Vietnam, Gaza has arguably become the "Israeli" Afghanistan. A total clusterfuck with no end in sight.

KingPickle07

- they offered and israel refused
- netanyahu and the government saw an opportunity to ethnically cleanse Gaza (and more of historic Palestine more generally)
- the public wanted revenge and collective punishment and so did the leadership and repeatedly said as much
- to point number 2, it is merely a continuation of what zionism is and always was, and the logic of zionism 
- when the hostages have been released a lot of the time they weren’t as anti-Hamas as the government wanted, and the government had no interest in having those kind of views expressed
- the truth of the matter beyond all these reasons is that it’s total bullshit; most people saying this kind of stuff are more anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab than they actually give a shit about the hostages and their families; they are Zionists and motivated by the goal of Zionism which is to have a Jewish state in Palestine, at any and all cost

BeautifulCup4

This is what I said:

"I want them released too, but if this was about the hostages the IDF wouldn't have shot three of them point-blank."

Quick-Obligation-504

One thing to add: the Israeli government itself doesn’t care about the hostages and many of the hostage families are anti-war, but their cause has been appropriated by the pro-war (pro-genocide) side in the U.S.

Electrical-Wrap-3923

Hamas does offer to release them, but Israel rejects the talks everytime. Also, Israel keeps shooting them under the "Hannibal Directive." Also, it's awfully hard to pretend you want to keep hostages safe, when you bomb entire city blocks they're being held in.

Fortinho91

Hamas is fighting a belligerent force through any and all means…. Law is on their side.

paublopowers

Estimates of the number of remaining living hostages are twenty to twenty-five.  This war is a full-blown regional conflagration, with a recent exchange of missile fire between Israel and Iran.  In the Gaza strip, it's not uncommon for 100 people or more to die in a single day.  Israeli operations in Lebanon and Syria continue.  At least five countries have had warfare on their soil:  Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Qatar (the Iranian missile strike on the American base there).

It sounds insensitive to ask, but still, it's a legitimate question, what explains the focus on approx. 25 hostages amidst a war that normally takes many times that number of lives every single week?

PlinyToTrajan

It is crazy to me how many people in these comments are openly supportive of Hamas, a group that has no legitimacy to control Gaza since they never held re-elections and the majority of Gazans weren't even born when they rose into power, and that massacred the peace-oriented Palestinian Authority people that were in Gaza. 

Hamas committed its October 7th atrocities knowing full well the weight of Israeli revenge, and decided to sacrifice tens of thousands of Palestinian lives in order to achieve absolutely nothing. This should not be a weird perspective, nor is it a Zionist view : Hamas have brought upon the Palestinians, who had no say in the matter, one of the worst humanitarian disasters in human history. Hate Israel if you want to - but don't discount Hamas' role in this suffering.

zorber101

I mean the central premise itself is absurd - releasing the hostages will not make the genocide stop. Hostage release is not the primary objective of the war on Gaza, as stated by Netanyahu himself. Destruction of Hamas is. And the unstated goal of genocide in Gaza is the real real really real objective.

Punky921

At the entrance of Auschwitz, it was written "Working  will set you free". Why didn't the prisonners in Auschwitz try to work so that the Nazi stop the genocide.

Caeflin

Because It won't end the genocide. Don't fall for the Hasbara that any of this is down to 10/7. Before that date, Israel had forcibly displaced 750 thousand Palestinians, by force. Killed 10s of thousands Palestinians, and imprisoned 2 million civilians into an open air concentration camp. There are currently 5 thousand Palestinians being held prisoner in Israeli jails, many of whom have never been officially charged with crimes. Those are hostages, as well -- but we never hear the West or MSM demanding their return. Israel's plan, since 1947, has been to drive as many Palestinians from their land as possible. 

Efficient-Front3035

If they don’t why does that justify a genocide ?

bgoldstein1993

When will Israel release the 10k Palestinian hostages?

Zachary-ARN

Tell them Hamas offered to return all the hostages early on in exchange for no ground invasion. 

Israel refused. 

&gt; [“We later found out that Hamas had offered on October 9 or 10 to release all the civilian hostages in exchange for the IDF not entering the Strip, but the government rejected the offer.”](https://i.imgur.com/R71GH68.png)

* [TOI - ‘No doubt’ Netanyahu preventing hostage deal, charges ex-spokesman of Families Forum](https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-doubt-netanyahu-preventing-hostage-deal-charges-ex-spokesman-of-families-forum/)

Sinwar offered all Israeli hostages for Palestinian hostages (Israel uses its 'administrative detention' policy to kidnap Palestinians and hold them without charges).

* [YNet - Hamas chief: all Israeli hostages for all Palestinian prisoners](https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjv5rrqz6)

* [NPR - Thousands of Palestinians are held without charge under Israeli detention policy](https://www.npr.org/2023/12/01/1216643555/thousands-of-palestinians-are-held-without-charge-under-israeli-detention-policy)

Israel keeps so many Palestinians imprisoned to be used as 'bargaining chips' - so it's important to keep this in mind when people one-sidedly talk about 'hostages' but never mention the thousands of Palestinian hostages.

This is also why Israel calls everyone a 'terrorist'.

&gt;**Israel prefers to use broad numbers, labeling every Palestinian in custody as a terrorist, to avoid a spotlight on its detention practices.**

* [The Washington Post - Does the Palestinian Authority pay $350 million a year to ‘terrorists and their families’?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/03/14/does-the-palestinian-authority-pay-350-million-a-year-to-terrorists-and-their-families/)

Also this:

* [WaPo - Israeli minister says returning hostages not ‘the most important goal’](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/21/israel-smotrich-hostages-gaza-war/)

* [The Times UK - Israel expands Gaza takeover despite pleas from hostage families | Benjamin Netanyahu is accused of ‘sacrificing hostages for capturing land’ as the Israeli military seizes large parts of the Palestinian territory](https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-hamas-war/article/israel-expands-gaza-takeover-despite-pleas-from-hostage-families-chcfrlcp7#Echobox=1743588432)

ContentChecker

My approach is this -   
  
If the hostages are given up, the tiny modicum of leverage Hamas has is gone when they're at the feet of a giant that feels no remorse. That would be their side of it.   
  
Genuinely, there have been multiple release and cease-fire deals that Israel has just said no to. It sounds cynical, but Israel does not want these hostages back, because they are using human lives to manufacture consent to continue a campaign of death and land-seizure that's lasted a long time. 

The modern "snipers are shooting babies" discourse isn't new to the last year and some change. I wish it were, and I'm not calling you ignorant or talking down to you when I say this, it's only now being discussed by more of the world. It's been such a problem that the BBC made a puppet sketch making fun of the then Prime Minister 38 years ago for being a murderous psycho engaged in human rights abuses. It's actually kind of wild, I can find it for you if you'd like. 

They've had multiple opportunities to get the hostages back as long as they stopped killing everyone else and gave a firm "Fuck you, no" every single time. They can at least hold out hope that some public official will care about their own people enough to listen to their negotiations at some point.

AlienKinkVR

Is there any proof that they're still alive? Israel has been letting so little food in that the Palestinians there can barely eat, and Israel has been so unwilling to negotiate that I wonder if they're even seen as valuable leverage by Hamas anymore.

Apathy-Syndrome

[Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-is-ready-release-all-remaining-hostages-return-an-end-gaza-war-hamas-gaza-2025-04-17/)   
Unless they live in Yitzhar and are too busy attacking Palestinians to read the news, I don't think they could say Reuters is pro-Hamas

Thisisme8719

because hamas holding the hostages was never the reason for genocide. do you really think the israeli government incapable of safely getting their hostages back? it gives hamas SOME political leverage, and israel an excuse to keep bombing and ethnically cleansing the area. genocide was never a way of revenge or getting the hostages back, that was always just an excuse. if hamas gives back the hostages, then israel should too release the palestinian hostages, which are far higher in number. if hamas gives in then that’s just defeat and giving up on the rights of palestinians who are held against their will, including children, and tortured. a treatment which the zionist hostages were never subjected to.

tinybabyyy

Hostages is laughable at this point. All civilians have either been slaughtered by Israel or released by Hamas in ceasefires.

Those are prisoners of war

Dyphault

I’d ask them why they are repeating that line when the Israeli government has said multiple times that returning the hostages is not their primary goal:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/smotrich-says-returning-hostages-not-the-most-important-thing-sparking-fierce-backlash/amp/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-idf-document-lists-returning-hostages-as-least-important-war-goal/

I’d also ask them if they’ve even bothered to hear what the family members of the hostages have to say, who have been protesting the government consistently.

snailorT

Even if you accept this Zionist framing (and the other comments here I think clearly explain why you shouldn't) it doesn't explain why Israel is also assaulting Palestinians in the West Bank, which Hamas does not control

jonawesome

Don't. These are not honest questions. Don't waste your time.

Drakeytown

How are hostages even eating at this point? The Israeli government doesn’t give a single F about the hostages &amp; they never did. By all estimations, they allowed it to happen so that they could justify this genocide. If they cared, they wouldn’t be indiscriminately dropping bombs, would they?

madonna816

1.  Hamas are bad.  Nobody is defending them or their actions, so you don't need to justify anything. 


2.  Returning the hostages not only removes 100% of their negotiating leverage, but there is 0 guarantee that the war will end once all the hostages are back.  It will simply lead to the goalposts shifting from retrieving the hostages to fully destroying Hamas.

Cornexclamationpoint

Why should they give up their only leverage? If all hostages are released and Israel, as usual, refuses to actually uphold their end of the deal and cease fire, then there is nothing stopping them from completely razing Gaza like they always wanted to. Also, why doesn't Israel relinquish the thousands of Palestinian hostages it holds instead? That's the only reason Hamas took hostages in the first place. To exchange them.

Distion55x

You are not being inaccurate. This is documented.

* [Hamas offered to release all civilian hostages as early as Oct. 9th or 10th 2023 in return for no ground invasion of Gaza, Israel refused](https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-doubt-netanyahu-preventing-hostage-deal-charges-ex-spokesman-of-families-forum/)
* [Sources involved in ceasefire &amp; hostage negotiations reported that Netanyahu was sabotaging said negotiations](https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-810551)
* [Netanyahu’s own officials (at least those he hadn’t axed at the time) blamed him for sabotaging hostage release talks](https://www.timesofisrael.com/security-chiefs-negotiators-us-said-all-blaming-netanyahu-for-tanking-hostage-talks/)
* [Israel destroyed the comprehensive ceasefire &amp; hostage release deal that existed in January by refusing to enter the second phase as stipulated in the agreement](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/gaza-ceasefire-wont-have-a-2nd-phase-senior-official-pledges-to-pro-netanyahu-outlet/)
* [Netanyahu has said he will not end the "war" even if it means returning the hostages](https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-claims-impossible-to-resume-gaza-war-if-deal-reached-to-free-all-hostages/)
* [The IDF listed returning hostages as its least important goal](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-idf-document-lists-returning-hostages-as-least-important-war-goal/)



I've included only Israeli sources, hopefully, to mitigate any claims of bias. I hope this is enough to at least give the person you referred to some pause (though I have my doubts).

wut_91

&gt;why doesn't Hamas release the hostages so Israel stops the genocide

So since Hamas took people hostage, Israel should murder every man woman and child?

Israel itself has rejected hostages. So much so that hostage families themselves are protesting the government. Further, hostages themselves have claimed how Israeli airstrikes have endangered them.

If this truly was about hostages, then baby formula wouldn't be blocked from going in. Hamas doesn't use it, and it does not harm to hostages. 

If it was truly about hostages, hind rajabs car wouldnt have 300 plus bullet holes. 

If it was truly about hostages, then they wouldn't be sniping children. 

If it was truly about hostages, they wouldn't have shot three of them themselves and would actually work to bring them back.

How come the most powerful military in the middle east backed by THE world superpower for two years now has the time to level an entire state yet cant find it's people?

It's because they don't give a fuck about their people. They were pawns to the ones in power anyway.

thrice_twice_once

I always just ask where they think the hostages are if every building is rubble.

Finbar_Mac

Ask them how on earth they're going to return a hostage turned into a pink mist by an American bomb. Maybe with a ziplock baggie?

CommiQueen

Because Hamas are some blood thirsty psychopaths. 

Also, it's kind of a false hypothesis since Israel would kill those hostages seven times over to ensure the genocide completes.

rainbowcarpincho

I don't GAF about their shitty government. I care about the babies and children starving to death. I want the hostages released too but what does that have to do with starving children?

CoffeeSunToast

“What about Israel’s behavior for the past 75 years makes you think that would put an end to it?”

Inappropriate_Piano

Why didn’t Israel free the 2 million Palestinians it was holding hostage in Gaza?

sallguud

You don't need to defend Hamas. It is a terrorist organisation which has spent decades attempting to indiscriminately slaughter civilians.  
Netanyahu has been propping Hamas up for years, and convinced the Qataris to send $millions to Hamas in Gaza. He told his supporters that anyone who does not want a Palestinian state needs a strong Hamas to weaken the PA.  
The Hamas has committed war crimes.  
But this does not justify the crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu and co.

Pristine_Tip7902

You don't retroactively turn hostages into POWs because they're men, wtaf

Tricky-Anything8009

Basically, a prisoner of war is a soldier who was captured when they were in active duty and engaged in warfare or related supporting tasks.

If a soldier is captured when they are off duty, they are not considered prisoners of war but hostages.

PoudreDeTopaze

All of them are hostages and holding them is a grave violation of human rights and IHL, which should excuse Israel to violate IHL as they please in the eyes of the international community. Cause I see no point for selective enforcement of IHL. 

But Israel doesnt violate IHL anyway. Too westernized for that.

babidygoo

Mostly all the hostages were taken from home, Unless the individual was on active duty they are legally classed as civilians under international law and unless the individual took up arms then they are no way classed a combatant which almost non of them were. It's better to die than to be captured and that's way of life in the IDF "על קידוש השם" al kiddush hashem, sanctification of the name, it's better to bring honor to G-d and the Jewish people than to be captured and tortured, not a lot of active duty soldiers were even taken and if you haven't seen any of the media pieces the ones that were captured were executed tied up in a tunnel and lined up and shot then beheaded on their base during the initial incursion. The hostages are civilians and they were taken for the core purpose of stalling the Israeli counterattack and providing themselves a scapegoat in the same way a home invader would take hostages upon law enforcement arrival.

Pretend-Spread4839

That is absurd and dehumanizing. 

"I killed or captured a soldier while they were at home watching TV during a time when there wasn't even war so I killed or captured a military target" is absurd. Those soldiers still count as civilians because there was **NO WAR DECLARED OR FOUGHT IN 2023 UNTIL AFTER OCT 7TH.**

AsaxenaSmallwood04

If true, they’d almost certainly be entitled to POW status. POW status provides broad protections under international humanitarian laws.

Only issue here is that international law hasn’t been enforced against either side of this mess.

spinek1

War Captives, or Prisoners of War are entitled to certain protections and rights.

Israeli captives are being treated as hostages not prisoners of war.

Jaded-Form-8236

They were no held in prisons but in different houses, probably hoping Israel would not bomb the houses because the hostages were in. 

[LEAKED ISRAELI DOCS: World Views Israel As 'Genocidal Apartheid'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlW9ry-QRck&amp;ab_channel=BreakingPoints)

PLUTO_HAS_COME_BACK

Not all of them are soldiers. Also they have not been given POW status, which comes with certain rights that have not been fulfilled. Its my understanding that some of these soldiers have been murdered, which is illegal to do to POWs. The purpose of taking a soldier as prisoner of war is not to punish the soldier. So while a majority of the living hostages may meet the legal definition of POW, they are not being treated as such.

ZachorMizrahi

If they were active duty, arguably yes. If they were formally on leave at the time, then no they were captured in their capacity as civilians.

WeAreAllFallible

They are captives. Everyone on both sides are captives. Some are captive civilians (hostages), some are POW. Only grey area is that in Israel military aged men are reservists, but international law says they are civilian if captured hors de combat, unless they engaged in fighting then they become POWs. Both parties lie a lot to justify kidnapping random men and boys and calling them POWs

Critter-Enthusiast

It really depends on your perspective.

From the Palestinian perspective they’ve been at war since ‘48 and Israelis are required to serve so every hostage is a prisoner of war.

From the Israeli perspective they are all civilians since they didnt realize they were at war and most were in their homes or at a music festival when they were taken.

This also explains every call for a “ceasefire” instead of a surrender.

Dry-Leave2003

Applying legal definitions to an organization which doesn’t respect the legal framework they are based on makes no logical sense.

knign

all are captives because hamass is an illegal terrorist organization that doesn't follow the laws of war

LongjumpingEye8519

Some qualify as prisoners of war with all the rights that entails, others-like civilians kidnaped- are being held unlawfully, full stop.

hellomondays

Omri Miran is a middle aged father.

He was taken captive from his home. Hamas terrorists came to his house with his teenage neighbor, whom they threatened to kill if he didn’t open the door of his safe room.

Is that what you call a POW?

andicuri_09

Some are captured soldiers, but many are still civilians. Including a number of young men kidnapped from the Nova music festival.

Thunder-Road

Yes, they are all soldiers who were captured in combat. Israelis won't admit this. To them all Palestinian hostages are prisoners, even if a quarter of them are under age, and even if Israels own reporting says over 3/4 are non-combatants. 

exegenes1s

Nadiveamerican000

So, the answer is no, they are still hostages. This is because the Israel–Hamas conflict is legally a non-international armed conflict and Hamas cannot confer POW status. 

Under Common Article 3 and customary IHL, all remaining Israelis — soldiers or civilians — are considered hostages, and their detention constitutes a war crime.

Throwawaydpp420420

On a moral level it really doesn’t matter. Too many discussions nowadays get too legalistic, as if the law determines what is right.

Crymmt

Lumpy-Cost398

It doesn't really matter. If they are hostages, it's a war crime. If they are POWs, it's still a war crime due to their treatment and lack of access to NGOs.

But also, Hamas doesn't count as lawful combatants. Even if they are a "resistance movement," which they are not, but to be considered lawful, the resistance movement must be part of a conflict, have a clear chain of command, **carry arms openly, wear a uniform or distinctive sign, and operate under the laws of war**.

So what Hamas has done is not different from what organized crime does.

TheTrollerOfTrolls

They are soldiers so the answer is clear.

pol-reddit

It is wild that people are bending over backwards to justify war crimes. These are the same people that are constantly demanding we find Israel guilty in the court of public opinion, instead of a court of law.

KvetchAndRelease

&gt; What's ur take on this?

My take is that this is a shit take meant only to diminish/revise the fact that there r innocent people starving to death in tunnels, subject to constant physical and sexual abuse, and whose lives r in the hands of the genocidal terrorists who murdered their families *still after 700 days.*

KlackTracker

Yes they’re all adult male IDF members/reservists. 

MAGA_Trudeau

Hamas wants to make their people suffer and blame everything on Israel to make them look like the bad guy

siderhater4

Foolish to think they'd stop even if they did.

W0rking_Title

They're cutting the grass for good this time

Ok-Emu-5781

I was just thinking about this. I saw one of the replies state that it is because Hamas has nothing to gain from Israel. And Israel won't stop until they think they've put an end to Hamas. The people of Gaza are caught between the rock and the hard place. No one is protecting them. 

Independent-Pen-4254

the terror is the point of Hamas attacking. Their objective is to make their own people suffer and their people support this. Not a single Gazan has helped return a hostage. Not one. They want the world to pity them as they start war after war, commit atrocity after atrocity, take hostages, parade around their dead kids proudly. The world falls for it.

PracticalDisaster794

I think you all miss one crucial point correct if im wrong I heard that king leopold of Belgium had over 25 million Congolese killed during Belgium occupation how true that is i really don't know but looking and DRC now that country haven't had any peace for hundreds of years
Now let's look at what wr do know is true 6 million Jews killed in ww2 surely these people deserve some mercy 
I really dont know what crime they have committed why certain groups of people hate them can anyone explain why they are so hated by certain groups

Visible-District-852

Why??? Does anybody know why this is still going on?

Weary-Story8675

I hope they're f\*cking happy with the shit storm they started.

Stormboy27

I think the OP poses a good question. I find myself wishing Hamas and PIJ would just release the remaining hostages, alive and dead, simply to show some mercy and to pull a global rug out from under Israel. We know returning them won’t make the slightest difference to Israel’s government and many of its people. That’s been made clear. But in the court of global public opinion, such a unilateral move from Hamas and PIJ might hold some weight.

JulesDeSask

How quickly these inbreds shift the focus from 7th October 2023 to playing victims calling this a genocide. 

In any case, why aren’t the hamas fighters dying of starvation?

As long as the conflict continues Hamas gains more " freedom Fighters" from the Palestinian population, and also more aid from the world. Playing the victim card has worked in their favour The most lies they spread the more support they gain in the western world.

Zealousideal_Bell444

The question was legitimate. Can we not have serious, considered  opinions please?

Main-Reference9137

If their wacky religion didn't exist, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

bfishin2day

One option might be to give Florida to all the beautiful Palestinian people - lock, stock and barrel. They can then enjoy a secure life with modern amenities again. Criminal Humpty Trump and criminal  Nutenyahoo can have rubbled gaza and live together there holding hands in a tent! Israel will be remembered very badly in history for this, as will the bastards from Hamas. No compassion. The hypocrisy of religious kindness is yet again exampled in this war. Israel pushed and pushed and pushed and there was a reaction. Terrible and evil, but not completely surprising. Israel kept stealing West Bank land for their moshavs etc. Palestinians and Jews have a right to existing. Gaza has been blown up. Too many civilians murdered. And it is murder. Hamas ARE throughout their population unfortunately. They cant be cut out. Its awful and they are an evil group. But what now? 60 thousand dead - mostly civilians. Think of , their hatred of Israel. It can never end. Even a sane and  compassionate world leader will not unravel it from here. I hate Hamas and I equally hate Israels governing party to be clear. One life lost is one too many. This is an insane situation. What would the aliens think of us? Nut and Humpty are evil, evil men. Free Florida now!

Fun_Horror2281

Didn't Israel already kill their hostages? 

Imknott28

Victims don’t hold hostages. The hypocrisy of the anti-Israel supporters will never cease to stun. 

Arabs value their honor above life. If you an insult an Arab, or win every war they ever wage against you, it is as if they have been murdered. 

Jihadists are fueled by hate and run on pride. The populations are kept poor on purpose as poor people are easier to radicalize. The PA and Iran pay terrorist families for life. For people who have no genuine economic choices - becoming a martyr guarantees money for their families. 

Hamas has nothing to gain and are happy to die, in theory. The ones who avoid martyrdom do not live in Gaza and/or hide in tunnels safe from the war they started. Note that Arab Palestinians were not allowed to use the tunnels to shelter safely. The more civilians martyred, the better the PR for Hamas - as stated by Sinwar.

It's been done b4, if there was real peace that was in reach, those Jaredim would be dragged out most west bank so fast it's not even funny.

They are instigators , uneducated extremists and most Israelis dislike their lazy asses.   They refuse to fight even. (Cause they gotta pray, soooo uneducated)

So like Gaza, they dragged out the settlers they'd do it in the west bank, thing is, AFTWR HAMAS, NO ISRAELI PM WILL ALLOW ANOTHER PALESTINIAN STATE THAT WILL USE 100% FUNDS TO ARM UP TO ATTACK ISRAEL...., AGAIN.

Hamas has released a 'farewell picture' of 48 Israeli captives amid escalating violence in Gaza City, as Israel intensifies its military offensive.

Hamas Hostages and Gaza Conflict

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want