BASSEM EID: Who Are We If We Don’t Rescue Hostages?

The daring rescue by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of Qaid Farhan Alkadi, an Israeli Bedouin Muslim held captive by Hamas for over 300 agonizing days, is not only a blessed, unimaginable relief for his family but a powerful symbol of the profound moral and political struggle currently playing out across the Middle East.

This is a war not just of weapons but of ideas — a war between a future of freedom and democracy and a future of theocratic, genocidal oppression. The outcome will determine whether my Palestinian people, our Israeli neighbors and the Middle East can find a path to peace and prosperity or will remain locked in a cycle of misery and suffering.

Oct. 7, 2023, will be remembered forever as a day of unparalleled horror. It was a day when Hamas, the terrorist organization that has long terrorized not just Jewish Israelis, whom it has long pledged to exterminate, but Palestinians in Gaza as well, launched a savage, genocidal assault on Israel. The brutality of that day is seared into the minds of anyone who witnessed it: 1,200 people slaughtered in cold blood — the largest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust. The Hamas terrorists did not simply murder in cold blood. They mutilated bodies, raped women and kidnapped over 240 human beings, dragging them into Gaza, where their torment would continue in the form of psychological and sexual abuse.

These acts are not merely crimes of war; they are crimes against humanity, reflective of an ideology rooted in barbarism, theocratic tyranny and a commitment to wiping out any vision of peace or pluralism in the region.

Qaid Farhan Alkadi’s story highlights a central truth in this conflict: Hamas’ cruelty knows no bounds, and its victims are not only Jews. Alkadi is an Israeli Bedouin Muslim, a father of eleven children and a proud citizen of Israel. He is a member of a community that thrives in a diverse, tolerant society — one where Muslims, Christians, Jews, Druze and others live as equals under the law. His kidnapping by Hamas, his suffering and his eventual rescue are a testament to the threat that Hamas represents to all who live in this region, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. Just days later, the world shuddered when it learned that Hamas had executed six hostages in cold blood, including the American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Alkadi avoided this terrible fate thanks to the IDF. Israel’s operation to rescue Alkadi from a dangerous location in Hamas-controlled territory — an operation that involved risking the lives of soldiers and the nation’s public resources — is a stark contrast to the ideology and actions of Hamas. This was a dangerous mission, one that could have resulted in casualties. Yet, Israel took the risk because, in Israel, human life is sacred.

Hamas, its theocratic Iranian sponsor and their ilk are not just enemies of Israel. They are enemies of all who dream of a peaceful and prosperous Middle East. They are enemies of Palestinians, whom they keep in perpetual suffering to advance their political goals. The suffering of the people of Gaza is not because of Israel but because of Hamas, who have used them as human shields, stockpiling weapons in civilian areas and diverting funds meant for hospitals and schools to build terror tunnels and rockets. The future Hamas offers is one of endless conflict, poverty, and repression.

The rescue of Qaid Farhan Alkadi is a reminder of what is at stake in this conflict. It is a reminder that Israel is not just fighting for its own survival; it is fighting for a future where Jews, Muslims, Christians and others can live together in peace, where human life is valued, and where theocratic tyranny is defeated.

We must pray that the Palestinian people and all the inhabitants of this region will one day enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities that Israel offers its citizens. We must pray that they are not doomed to live under the tyranny of Hamas’ jihadi thugs or Iran’s ayatollahs but are given the chance to build a future of hope, dignity and peace.

This is not just Israel’s war. It is a war for the soul of the Middle East. And the world must choose which future it will support.

Bassem Eid is a Palestinian human rights activist. He lives in the West Bank.

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