Hamas Leader Shows Why Israel Can't Afford To Let The Terrorists Remain In Gaza

President Joe Biden, who initially declared his "rock-solid and unwavering" support for Israel, has called for a "pause" in the Jewish state's ground assault in Gaza on Wednesday amid criticism of Israeli airstrikes. Yet, a senior member of Hamas' Politburo showed exactly why Israel must root out the genocidal terrorist group after the horrific pogrom of Oct. 7, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis.

Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas' political bureau and the group's former deputy foreign minister, promised that the attack on Oct. 7, in which Hamas terrorists slaughtered civilians and even babies, would happen again and again until the terrorists wipe Israel from the face of the earth.

"We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again," Hamad said, according to an Oct. 24 interview on Lebanese television translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute. "The Al-Aqsa Flood is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight."

"Israel is a country that has no place on our land," the Hamas leader stated. "We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force."

"We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs," Hamad added.

The Hamas leader declared that "the occupation must come to an end," clarifying that he did not just mean Gaza, but "all the Palestinian lands."

"The existence of Israel is what causes all that pain, blood, and tears," he added. "It is Israel, not us. We are the victims of the occupation. Period. Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do."

Hamas attacked Israel on the Sabbath and on the feast of Simchat Torah, the most joyous holy day in the Jewish calendar. The terrorists massacred civilians in their homes and youths at a music festival. They gang-raped women next to the corpses of their friends. They killed children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children. They beheaded babies. They bragged about killing Jews. They took more than 200 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly.

Hamad's remarks reveal that Hamas does not intend to stop such attacks until it has destroyed Israel entirely. This only proves Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's point that the Jewish state must wipe out Hamas to prevent this existential threat.

Israel must move quickly to prevent Hamas from regrouping. While a cease-fire and "humanitarian aid" sound noble, the genocidal government that controls Gaza has proved that it will take advantage of any aid the West sends. Hamas has turned water pipes into rockets to hit Israel. It has taken construction materials to build tunnels from which to attack Israel. It will weaponize any delay to achieve its ultimate objective--destroying the Jewish state.

Iran has directed money to Hamas, and Tehran's other proxies in the region are rearing their heads against Israel, as well. The Jewish state has faced attacks from all directions--in the southwest from Hamas, in the north from Hezbollah, in the west from Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the West Bank (and in Gaza), and in the south from the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Iran has received at least $71 billion more under Biden than it would have under former President Donald Trump, due to Biden's relaxation of sanctions enforcement and his moves toward detente with the mullahs. That may have contributed to Oct. 7 and to the other attacks Israel faces from Iran's proxies in the region.

Israel needs to end the war quickly in order to prevent it from spilling over into a regional conflict. Similarly, the U.S. should enforce sanctions against Iran and position military assets to deter the mullahs from entering the conflict outright.

Oct. 7 showed that Israel must take Hamas seriously, and Hamad's remarks show that it cannot compromise with the antisemitic, genocidal government that controls Gaza. Israel must stay the course, and the U.S. must offer firm support for our ally to achieve its objective.

Any alternative, as Hamad demonstrates, would be unconscionable.

Originally published at The Daily Signal - reposted with permission.