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John Spencer is a renowned historian and expert on warfare. He talks often about issues relating to war crimes -- both alleged and real -- of the practice of war and the situation in Gaza.
Also: "Never forget" that Yahya Sinwar was one of the Palestinians who was held in Israeli jails for terrorist offences, who was released in one of these ludicrous exchanges where Israel gets one hostage in return for release of thousands of convicted Palestinian terrorists held in its prisons.
Israel, and the west, have really made this rod for their backs with the policy of saving hostages no matter what.
There's a growing movement in and outside Israel, which I support, that calls for return to "no negotiating with terrorists". That means if there are hostages taken, they should be treated as "casualties of war", even they be alive. It's horrible for the relatives, of course, and goes against a deeply held Jewish commitment that noone should ever be left behind. But the downside is terrible, and impacts many others left behind: the soldiers, the citizens. Even the Gazans themselves.
If we stick, if Israel sticks, to the policy of getting hostages bacak at any price, we are always going to be held hostage (as it were) to the hostages. That's been Israel has been these last two years.
Do we think that the war would have lasted this long, had there been no policy of getting the hostages back "at any price"? Most assuredly not.
Never forget. describes the detailed instructions Yahya Sinwar and Hamas commanders gave to target civilians on October 7th, the level of savagery, and the importance of capturing it. Sick. An evil in our time that can never hold power again. nytimes.com/2025/10/11/wor
Oderrs for fighters to enter residential neighborhoods and set them on fire “with gasoline or diesel from a tanker.”
“Two or three operations, in which an entire neighborhood, kibbutz, or something similar will be burned, must be prepared,” the memo said.
“Burn, burn,” he said, according to the intercepts. “I want the whole kibbutz to be in flames.”
“Slit their throats,” a commander from a battalion in northern Gaza told his team. “Slit them as you are trained.”
The intercepts captured Hamas combatants broadly calling for violence and taking captives.
“Kill everyone on the road,” he said. “Kill everyone you encounter.”
“Now we are at the beginning of the kibbutz,” said one combatant. “We have wiped out those in it. There are settlers whom we killed.”
“Guys, take a lot of hostages,” said the commander, Abu Muath, according to the intercepts. “Take a lot of hostages.”
“It needs to be affirmed to the unit commanders to undertake these actions intentionally, film them and broadcast images of them as fast as possible,” the memo said.
“Document the scenes of horror, now, and broadcast them on TV channels to the whole world,”
