Eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home

Eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home (Hebrew: לחסל את חמאס ולהחזיר את החטופים הביתה, Arabic: القضاء على حماس وإعادة الرهائن إلى ديارهم) is a political slogan promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet during the Gaza war. It expresses two of Israel’s core war objectives: the military dismantling of Hamas and the safe return of Israeli hostages abducted during the October 7 attacks. The Israeli government refuses to allow the Palestinian Authority to assume control of the Gaza Strip the day after the war. In April 2025, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of giving Israel a reason to destroy the Gaza Strip and called on it to hand over the hostages. On 31 July 2025, Washington imposed sanctions on the PA for failing to honor previous promises, such as combating incitement and providing payments to "terrorists".

Israeli military leaders and American officials have stated that Israel has achieved all it realistically can through military means. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu refuses to commit to ending the war and continues to obstruct efforts toward a ceasefire. The rising death toll in Gaza has eroded public support for Israel in the United States, with a Gallup poll showing that only 32% of American adults approve of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

Background

On 7 October 2023, Hamas-led militants launched a massive cross-border assault on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people—most of them civilians—and abducting more than 240 hostages. In response, Israel declared a state of war and initiated a military campaign aimed at eliminating Hamas and securing the return of the captives. The slogan eliminate Hamas and bring the hostages home quickly emerged in official rhetoric and media coverage as the dual mission defining Israel’s war aims.

Official policy and strategic goals

In December 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal in which he outlined three non-negotiable conditions for peace. The framework laid out in the op-ed shaped the Israeli government's strategic messaging throughout the war. The conditions were:

• Destruction of Hamas

Netanyahu emphasized that Hamas’s military and political infrastructure must be dismantled to prevent further attacks. He cited Hamas leaders’ statements promising to repeat the 7 October massacre as justification for its total elimination.

• Demilitarization of Gaza

He called for a temporary security zone and a mechanism to prevent weapons smuggling from Egypt. Netanyahu rejected proposals that the Palestinian Authority (PA) govern Gaza postwar, asserting that the PA had neither the capability nor will to demilitarize the territory.

• Deradicalization of Palestinian society

Netanyahu advocated for educational and religious reform in Palestinian society, citing historical examples from post-WWII Germany and Japan, and Gulf states' deradicalization efforts. He argued that peace could only follow societal transformation.

The op-ed notably omitted reference to the hostage crisis or the two-state solution, both key topics in international diplomatic efforts.

Hostage strategy and developments

• November 2023: During a brief ceasefire, 50 hostages were released in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.

• February 2024: A covert Israeli military raid rescued two hostages in Rafah.

• January 2025: A broader agreement led to the release of 33 hostages and over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

By mid‑2025, over 150 hostages had been released. Around 24 were believed to remain alive, with at least 27 confirmed dead. Israeli operations continued in parallel with negotiation efforts, amid rising debate over the effectiveness and morality of simultaneous military pressure and diplomatic outreach.

Protest movements and public debate

Widespread demonstrations, led by hostage families and civil society groups, criticized the government’s prioritization of Hamas’s destruction over the lives of remaining captives. The “Bring Them Home Now” campaign gained international visibility, often clashing with government messaging.

Some protesters accused Netanyahu’s administration of exploiting the hostage crisis to justify a prolonged campaign with unclear exit strategies. Others argued that only maximalist pressure would achieve both goals. Public opinion polls showed support for hostage negotiations but declining confidence in the government’s handling of the crisis.

Humanitarian and diplomatic context

By mid‑2025, the war had caused over 60,000 reported deaths in Gaza, widespread displacement, and a collapsing humanitarian system. Western allies of Israel expressed growing discomfort with the scale of destruction and the lack of a defined postwar political plan.

Recognition of a Palestinian state has increasingly been tied to Hamas’s removal from power, its disarmament, and the initiation of civil governance reforms. Israel, however, continued to reject a two-state solution and insisted on indefinite security control over Gaza.

On 9 June 2025, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the 7 October Hamas attacks and called for the unconditional release of hostages. His statement came as part of a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of a UN-backed peace initiative. Abbas offered concrete commitments, including ending support payments to families of convicted militants, transferring Hamas’s weapons to the Palestinian Security Forces, and inviting international peacekeepers into Gaza.

The Elysée Palace welcomed Abbas’s letter as a “concrete and unprecedented” step, signaling real readiness toward a two-state solution. French President Macron reaffirmed his determination to recognize a Palestinian state, conditional on Hamas’s demilitarization.

Despite this, Prime Minister Netanyahu refused to consider allowing the PA to return to governance in Gaza. His position has discouraged nearly half a dozen Arab governments from committing to postwar involvement, as they had conditioned their participation on the emergence of a political horizon for an eventual two-state solution.

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri rejected Abbas’s authority, saying the PA president had “no legitimacy to speak about the weapons of the resistance”.

Analysis

Strategic contradiction

While Israeli leadership has insisted that the two goals—destroying Hamas and recovering the hostages—can be pursued simultaneously, internal military assessments have cast doubt on that assumption. According to a January 2024 investigative report, multiple senior Israeli military officers privately concluded that these objectives are now mutually incompatible.

After reviewing early invasion plans and comparing them with the army’s slower-than-expected progress on the ground, commanders expressed frustration with the civilian government’s strategy and warned that continuing an extended campaign against Hamas’s underground infrastructure would likely result in the death of remaining hostages.

The officers argued that military operations alone could not ensure their release, and that diplomatic channels might offer the only viable path to recovering the captives. They also noted the tension between the long timeframe needed to dismantle Hamas—given the complexity of its tunnel networks—and increasing international pressure to end the war due to rising civilian casualties in Gaza.

Moral calculus and civil society backlash

Mass protests organized by hostage families created a powerful public counter-narrative. Demonstrators accused the government of sacrificing hostages for political ends and demanded direct talks or broader prisoner exchanges. The government maintained that military pressure was essential, but some accused it of using hostages as a justification for total war.

The prisoner release dilemma

Past experiences—especially the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal, after which released prisoners rejoined militant activity—have deepened skepticism about swaps. Critics say such deals fuel the cycle of violence. Supporters argue that human life must remain paramount.

A proposed compromise involves releasing prisoners only if they participate in monitored deradicalization programs, modeled on efforts in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. Advocates say this balances humanitarian concerns with long-term security.

Deradicalization as strategic doctrine

Netanyahu and others have increasingly framed deradicalization as essential—not just to governance in Gaza, but to peace itself. Israeli commentators and former officials argue that Hamas’s fall must be accompanied by an ideological shift within Palestinian society. Others worry that such expectations may be unrealistic, coercive, or mask political stagnation.

A notable proposal was made by Yaron Schwartz, a senior analyst at Acumen Risk Ltd., in an April 2025 opinion article. He argued that instead of continuing the cycle of prisoner exchanges, Palestinian security prisoners should be transferred to deradicalization centers abroad under international supervision. He warned that past releases had repeatedly backfired and urged the international community to fund ideological rehabilitation as a foundation for future peace.

International optics and diplomatic friction

International actors have largely supported Israel’s aim to neutralize Hamas, but have grown uneasy with civilian casualties and indefinite military control. The slogan’s omission of “statehood” and “negotiation” has been read as a rejection of the two-state solution.

In contrast, PA President Abbas’s condemnation of Hamas and reform pledges have been welcomed in diplomatic circles, with France calling them unprecedented. Yet Netanyahu's refusal to allow PA rule in Gaza has blocked regional efforts to stabilize the Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to reject the PA's legitimacy, creating an impasse in Palestinian political reconciliation.

See also

• Gaza war
• Gaza hostage crisis
• October 7 attacks
• Deradicalization
• Israeli hostage deal protests