Eylon Levy, former spokesperson for the Israeli government, believes Israel faces an “impossible dilemma” more than a year and a half into the war, as it struggles to both defeat Hamas and secure the release of remaining hostages, he told Digital.
Levy stressed the importance of preventing Hamas from remaining in power while simultaneously rescuing the hostages held in Gazan tunnels.
“If the current conflict concludes with Hamas, the group responsible for the October 7th attacks, still in control, it will only be a temporary pause before the next war,” Levy stated. “Israelis desire an end to the war, but only with the complete dismantling of Hamas, otherwise, further conflicts in Gaza are inevitable.”
Israel has received international criticism regarding its conduct in the Gaza war, with countries like the U.K., France, and Canada jointly urging Jerusalem to cease military operations in the Gaza Strip earlier this month. The U.K. also halted trade discussions with Israel due to its concerns about the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of being “on the wrong side of humanity.”
Levy told Digital, “Those who criticize Israel need to propose a better solution for how you , because otherwise they’re just giving it political power and trying to save [it] from the war that it started.”
The international community has been applying pressure on Israel regarding prisoner swaps to secure hostage releases. Jerusalem faces demands to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages taken on October 7th. Levy admitted that while Israel cannot abandon the hostages, concerns surrounding these releases are justified.
“Israel’s impossible dilemma stems from Hamas demanding the release of future hostage-takers for the hostages they currently hold,” Levy explained.
Levy also criticized the international community, arguing that most nations would not “pay ransoms to terrorist hostage-takers.”
Levy told Digital, “The absurdity lies in the international pressure on Israel to pay a ransom. Most countries avoid paying ransoms to terrorist hostage takers because they recognize that it incentivizes and rewards further hostage-taking. Israel has, however, paid a ransom to secure hostage releases during two cease-fires, acknowledging the risks but prioritizing the rescue of those being starved, tortured, and even executed in captivity.”
Levy suggests Israel “found itself stymied along the way” because nations that initially supported efforts to defeat Hamas “got cold feet very quickly” as they realized the implications of removing the terror group from power.
Levy questions whether an alternative strategy from the outset might have led to a quicker resolution, even if it meant “defying international pressure.”
“I wonder if defying international pressure from the start would have resulted in an earlier end to the war,” Levy said. “However, Israel remains trapped in this impossible bind because hostages remain in Gaza, with Hamas threatening their execution if the Israeli army attempts a rescue operation.”
This threat is not new. Several former hostages recounted being threatened with execution if Israeli forces approached. Six other former hostages, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were fatally shot just before the IDF could reach them.
However, not all of Israel’s international allies have abandoned the country. America’s approach to Netanyahu shifted when President returned to the White House. While the Biden administration increased pressure on Netanyahu, Trump seems to support Israel taking necessary action to end the war.
Levy told Digital, “Israelis definitely got the impression that the Trump administration has Israel’s back and is willing to endorse any military strategy that it wants to implement, but there are also signs the Trump administration, you know, may want to wrap this up very quickly.”
Since Trump’s return to the Oval Office, dozens of hostages have been freed, including American-Israelis Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Edan Alexander.
Levy acknowledges the conflicting goals of rescuing hostages and removing Hamas from power, stating, “We cannot afford to pay this ransom, but we also can’t afford not to pay it.”
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