Bibi Netanyahu must finish the war in Gaza by destroying Hamas

Friday’s “famine in Gaza” announcement by a UN-backed agency is simply the latest effort to preserve Hamas’ rule over the territory on supposedly humanitarian grounds as Israel reluctantly begins to go after the terror group’s major enclaves in Gaza City.

Note how the “experts” of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification outfit claim to have sufficient ground-level access to ordinary Gazans to determine, for example, that 30% of children are severely malnourished — by measuring the upper-arm widths of a statistically significant random sample of the kids! — even though somehow no one is able to produce photographic examples of Gazan starvation that stands up to elementary fact-checking.

Not to mention all the double-talk about Israel refusing to allow international aid to enter the war zone, when in fact it’s only insisting that supplies go in with armed guards to prevent immediate seizure by the terrorists.

More deception: “News” that Hamas is willing to return the remaining hostages in a ceasefire agreement.

Yes, if Hamas is willing to turn over the living hostages now, some deal may be possible.

Short of that, it has nothing real to offer, and Israel should proceed with taking Gaza City and wiping the terror group from the earth.

Time and again, Hamas has taunted Israel by offering the release of its captives, but inevitably on unacceptable terms, namely that Israel agree to leave it in power in Gaza, with security guarantees and UN backing.

No country in the world but Israel would be expected to allow a death cult dressed up as a normal state to operate on its border: The Oct. 7, 2023, attacks should have ended forever the fantasy that the Jewish state can coexist with Hamas.

All the Western leaders sanctimoniously vowing to recognize a Palestinian state forget that a ceasefire was in place on Oct. 6; Hamas broke it by murdering 1,200 innocents and kidnapping hundreds.

And in the nearly two years since, the terror group has savaged the people of Gaza — violating all the laws of war against exploiting civilians; stealing their food; slaughtering those who try to evacuate or acquire rations; targeting those who dare protest against it.

Hamas’ own videos, from the GoPro’d atrocities of Oct. 7 to the sick filming of starved-next-to-death captives forced to dig their own graves, testify to its evil.

Now the terrorists are supposedly saying a deal is possible if it comes with some guarantees of establishing a Palestinian state, except that Hamas has never been about Palestinian nationalism: It is strictly an extremist Islamist resistance faction, albeit happy to seize control of any territory supposedly intended for some future Palestine.

Territory it then “develops” not as any nascent country, but as a network of militarized bases shielded by civilian housing, schools and hospitals.

Hamas is still aiming to get back to its power of Oct. 6 so it can someday launch another Oct. 7 — and any end to this war that doesn’t involve Hamas’ exit from Gaza is granting that wish.

The terrorists can end the fighting instantly: Free the hostages and accept exile.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can accept a ceasefire that frees the hostages, not a deal that preserves Hamas’ rule — and any world power that truly wants a free Palestinian state should be demanding that Hamas, not Israel, give up this fight.

Israel’s safety and any hope for Gaza to ever be free require Hamas’ expulsion; if that means an invasion of Gaza City, the civilized world should have Israel’s back.