On the eve of the grim second anniversary of October 7, 2023, Israeli and Hamas representatives began indirect talks in Sharm el-Sheikh as mediators raced to seize a narrow window for peace and the return of hostages. The meetings carried the urgent weight of two years of bloodshed and the hopes of families who have not given up on bringing their loved ones home.
What negotiators are discussing is no small thing: a U.S.-drafted, phased peace proposal that ties the release of hostages to the freeing of Palestinian prisoners, a partial Israeli troop withdrawal, a surge of humanitarian aid, and the ambitious goal of disarming Hamas. These are real and difficult concessions aimed at an outcome that prevents another October 7 from ever happening again, and they deserve sober, decisive diplomatic muscle—not the dithering and moral equivocation we see from some corners of the establishment.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has publicly offered to act as a neutral intermediary for the transfer of hostages and detainees and to facilitate the delivery of life-saving aid into Gaza, an essential role if any agreement is to work on the ground. Humanitarian access and secure handovers are not optional extras; they are the test of whether negotiators mean business or merely stage-manage headlines.
Let there be no mistake about the moral stakes: the plan under discussion would immediately aim to secure the release of hostages — scores of innocent Israelis taken by Hamas — while putting pressure on the terror group to relinquish its capacity to strike again. Americans who love liberty should stand with Israel’s right to defend its citizens and demand the safe return of every hostage before any vague promises of a future government are trusted.
President Trump’s role in pushing a concrete framework for negotiations must be acknowledged, not scorned; leadership meant to end a brutal stalemate deserves support from conservatives who prize peace through strength. Too many in the pundit class reflexively cheer for process over results; hardworking Americans want outcomes — hostages returned, terrorists neutered, and the region stabilized. (Opinion)
Inside Israel, political pressure from the far right threatens to fracture unity at the very moment negotiators need firm backing to close a deal, with senior ministers openly warning they would quit if Hamas remained in power. That internal chaos is exactly why a clear American diplomatic push and public backbone matter now more than ever.
We should urge a deal that secures lives and prevents future atrocities while insisting that Gaza’s reconstruction occur without empowering the same extremists who butchered civilians on October 7. Conservatives must press for accountability, robust verification, and an international mechanism that delivers aid to civilians without enriching terrorists. (Opinion)
Every moment of delay risks more suffering and gives Hamas time to regroup; every decisive push for a hostage-for-detainee exchange tied to Hamas disarmament is a concrete step toward ending a terrible chapter. Stand with the families, stand with our allies who share common-sense goals, and demand that American diplomacy be measured by results — the safe return of the innocent and a durable check on Islamist terror.
