If the Oct. 7, 2023 brutal slaughter of Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists didn't tell you who the good guys were in the Israeli-Gaza War, the reactions to this week's ceasefire should have.
The ceasefire agreement required Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, 20 of them still living, and in return Israel released more than 1,900 convicted Palestinian prisoners.
Video depicting hostages reuniting with and hugging family members and loved ones after their two-year separation brought smiles and tears to viewers.
Buses filled with the Palestinian criminals were taken to the West Bank and met with cheering crowds.
In Gaza the mood was altogether different.
Hamas terrorists seized political power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, and although it has eroded somewhat since the start of their war with Israel two years ago, they still rule with an iron fist.
Instead of cheering the end of hostilities, Hamas cleaned house.
While the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) withdrew from the Gaza Strip, Hamas terrorists crawled out of their tunnels and went door-to-door in search of their political enemies and publicly executed them.
"A greatly weakened Hamas has sought to reassert itself in Gaza since a ceasefire took hold, killing at least 33 people," Reuters reported Monday.
Anna Ben-Ezra, a diplomat with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted a video of one such public execution.
Seven men knelt in a line with their executioners lined up behind them. Upon command they shot their victims in the back of the head.
"Hamas barbarism has no limits," Ben-Ezra said.
"They execute Palestinians in Gaza, revealing pure cruelty and contempt for human life," she continued, adding, "Dismantling and removing Hamas is essential for any future of dignity and safety in Gaza."
One of those executed was Ahmad Zidan al-Tarabin, reportedly responsible for recruiting agents for the Abu Shabab militia, according to Israel's Ynet news.
Yasser Abu Shabab is a Palestinian militant and leader of the Popular Forces, an anti-Hamas armed group in the Gaza Strip. He is a Bedouin of the Tarabin tribe.
Abu Shabab emerged as a local opposition figure to Hamas during the Gaza war.
Another Hamas-opposition group, the powerful Dagmoush clan, were targeted by Hamas on Sunday, one day before the release of hostages.
Ynet reported that 52 of the clan were killed that day.
"It’s a massacre," a clan member’s daughter said. "They’re dragging people away, children are screaming and dying, they're burning our houses. What did we do wrong?"
Jake Wallis Simons, a columnist for The Telegraph, reported that Hamas didn't stop at executing political rivals — they also went after their critics.
He posted a photo of three young men in blindfolds, and their hands tied behind their backs, and said, "Hamas executes three Palestinians who criticised it online. I wonder what the campus types would say about this."
That's not to say there was no celebration in Gaza. Israeli journalist Hananya Naftali posted a video of Gazans shouting and dancing when a peace deal appeared imminent.
"BREAKING: Gazans celebrate 'peace deal' by chanting 'Khaybar, Khaybar, ya Yehud,'" he said, but then offered this translation, "a call for the slaughter of Jews."
Item 13 of the president’s 20-point Gaza peace plan states, in part, that "Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form. All military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities, will be destroyed and not rebuilt."
But Vijeta Uniyal, an Indian journalist based in Germany and a senior distinguished fellow at the Gatestone Institute, observed that will be easier said than done.
"The terrorist group has so far shown no sign of handing over weaponry or control over the enclave," he said, writing for Legal Insurrection.
"Given the post-war bloodbath unleashed by Hamas, it is hard to imagine it voluntarily surrendering weapons."
In that even, the United States has 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs, B-2 stealth bombers to deliver them, and a demonstrated readiness to use them. Just ask the mullahs in Iran.
But whether they're deployed or not, the reactions from Israel and Gaza clearly demonstrate that the Jewish state continues to hold the moral high ground in this conflict.
And all the cries of "Free Palestine" from American university students waving Palestinian flags won't change that.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He's also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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