Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on world leaders to pressure Hamas to accept the latest ceasefire proposal this week noting, “If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, press Hamas to say yes.”
Unfortunately, as messages recently intercepted from Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar show, Hamas sees Gazan suffering as its best weapon against Israel, not a tragedy to be avoided.
“We have the Israelis right where we want them,” Sinwar wrote to Hamas officials negotiating a ceasefire with Qatari and Egyptian officials. “These are necessary sacrifices,” Sinwar said of the death of Gazan civilians in another message to Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar. Gazan deaths “infuse life into the veins of this nation, prompting it to rise to its glory and honor,” Sinwar wrote to another Hamas official.
The problem that Sinwar faced before Oct. 7, 2023, was…
