Former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Maj. Doron Spielman appeared on Newsmax on Thursday and said Hamas could end the war immediately by returning hostages and demilitarizing Gaza, but its leaders choose to prolong the conflict.
Spielman, author of "When the Stones Speak," appeared on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" and said the path to peace has always been clear.
"This could have been over already on Oct. 7 or Oct. 8," he said. "Israel's been super clear. All they have to do is very simple: Return the 57 – 56 hostages now – back home, alive or dead, and leave the Gaza Strip completely demilitarized. And it would have ended."
Spielman said that despite Hamas leaders' public claims of wanting peace, their actions prove otherwise.
"The problem is that this is, of course, as you know, Hamas' playbook: propaganda," he said. "They've indoctrinated everyone in the Gaza Strip, which is what my book goes into about: 'When the Stones Speak.' When they say Israel doesn't want a ceasefire, of course it's not true.
"Hamas wants to survive," he added. "They are fighting Israelis. They're shooting rockets at Israel today. They're shooting and killing Israeli soldiers. This is not the actions of a regime that is willing to surrender."
When asked why Israel would not accept a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the hostages, Spielman rejected the idea that Hamas would follow through on such a deal.
"Hamas is actually not willing to let the 56 hostages go. I mean ... Israel would have gotten them a long time ago," he said.
"Israel would agree to that in one second if Hamas agreed to demilitarize," Spielman continued. "But they don't. When they say that the war will end, remember Hamas works on propaganda. That's exactly what this goes back to. It goes back to the roots of this entire conflict."
He said Hamas has spent decades distorting history and teaching that Jews and Christians have no historical claim to the land.
"In the Gaza Strip from the very beginning, Hamas has manipulated everyone to believe that Jews have absolutely no right whatsoever to Israel," Spielman said. "These are people who have erased the history of Jews, Christians, and Americans."
Referencing his work in archaeological excavations at the City of David, Spielman said the evidence of ancient Jewish ties to the land is irrefutable.
"You go down to the bedrock, and you find the actual evidence that shows that the Bible actually was here," he said. "That's what they're fighting against. It's the same propaganda that buries our history is what they're doing in Gaza today — even about this peace deal.
"They're proud of this," he said. "They declared to the world: Deny the Holocaust, deny biblical history, and then try to destroy Israel. And it is in their charter. Their charter also equates Jews with Nazis."
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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