RUTHFULLY YOURS

Yesterday was always going to be a sombre day, as Israel prepared to receive the first of its deceased hostages – those who had entered Gaza in life and were leaving it in death. However, Hamas has not only stuck the knife in further – they’ve twisted it for us too. At the transition to the Red Cross, Hamas orchestrated a grotesque ceremony to hand over the dead, a macabre spectacle clearly designed to insult Israel and grandstand before the world. This was not an exchange; it was a calculated act of psychological warfare.

The most despicable betrayal, however, came with the absence of Shiri Bibas. The mother of two young sons and wife to Yarden Bibas – who was recently released after an excruciating 484 days in captivity – was not returned alongside the bodies of her children, as previously agreed. Instead, Hamas substituted her body with that of an imposter who, as of this morning, remains unidentified by forensic experts but is presumed to be a Gazan woman. This flagrant deception has rightly ignited outrage, not just in Israel but across the international community.

This deceitful and malicious act has pushed what was already a tenuous ceasefire deal to the brink of collapse. If Hamas thought it could manipulate this moment without consequence, it has gravely miscalculated. Israel cannot afford to respond with half-measures. This is a violation that calls for decisive action and Israel would do well to take a lesson from the Donald Trump playbook: when a deal is broken, the response must be immediate and severe. In this way Israel should go straight for the jugular, eliminating what remains of Hamas leadership. The locations of these figures are known – now is the time to act, regardless of which countries they might be skulking in.

Israel must assert its control, send a message of unequivocal strength, and ensure that Hamas pays the ultimate price for its barbarism. The world is watching, and there should be no doubt left in the minds of those who threaten Israel’s sovereignty: breaking a deal with Israel, particularly one with terms as hideous as have been imposed by the terrorists, should mean signing one’s own death warrant.