Sen. Lindsey Graham Sees WWII-Like Finish for Hamas

With Hamas balking at peace, Israel ought to finish the job in Gaza akin to how the U.S. finished Nazi Germany and the Japanese Axis powers in World War II, according to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"There is no future for the Palestinian people as long as Hamas is around," Graham told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "So all I can say is that you're going to see, I think, in the next days and weeks, a military effort to destroy Hamas, akin to what we did in Tokyo and Berlin to destroy the Nazis and the Japanese."

While Graham expressed "hope" the remaining Hamas terrorist-held hostages will return to Israel, the terrorists need to lay down their arms or die, as President Donald Trump warned Friday.

"I think there are people maybe in the Hamas organization that would accept safe passage if they release the hostages," Graham told host Kristen Welker. "If I were Israel, I'd make that offer to Hamas fighters. You can leave safely. We want our hostages back."

But Israel cannot continue to see its soldiers die in an Hamas-drawn out war at the mere "hope" hostages – held as human shields by terrorists – make it home alive.

"But here's the problem Israel has: They're losing soldiers four and five a week," he added. "I hope and pray the hostages will come back. Hamas could end this tomorrow by laying down their weapons and releasing the hostages."

Ultimately, as the humanitarian aid gets rushed to Gaza – under the nonstop threat of Hamas terrorists just stealing it – there needs to be a "change in strategy" in Gaza to end the war.

"Here's some good news for the people in Gaza: Humanitarian corridors are now going to be open," Graham said. "Israel is going to work with the U.N., the World Food Program, to get some food into these people who need it.

"But I think what the topic we're talking about today is a change in strategy. I think President Trump has come to believe, and I certainly come to believe, there's no way you're going to negotiate an end of this war with Hamas.

"Hamas is a terrorist organization who is chartered to destroy the state of Israel. They're religious Nazis. They hold Israeli hostages. I think Israel has come to conclude that they can't achieve a goal of ending the war with Hamas that would be satisfactory to the safety of Israel.

"If they're going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin: take the place by force, then start over again, presenting a better future for the Palestinians hopefully having the Arabs take over the West Bank and Gaza.

"But I think going forward, Kristen, you're going to see a change in tactics, a full military effort by Israel to take Gaza down like we did in Tokyo and Berlin."

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