This Is Not A Call For Vengeance. It Is A Call For Clarity.

On September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri, Japan signed an instrument of unconditional surrender. There were no negotiations, no concessions, no “confidence-building measures.” The message was clear: the war was over, and Japan had lost – completely. That moment marked the beginning of a transformation that turned a militaristic empire into a peaceful democracy. It happened because the Allies understood that evil ideologies cannot be managed; they must be eradicated.

Fast forward to today. Hamas is not acting like a defeated enemy. Quite the opposite: it is dictating terms. It is making demands, and astonishingly, many of those demands are being met by the United States, Israel, and European nations. Hostage deals, humanitarian aid, fuel deliveries, and even discussions about governance in Gaza are all happening under Hamas’s watch. Hamas terrorists trapped in Israeli-captured territory “must be returned” to Hamas-controlled Gaza. This is not the behavior of a vanquished foe. This is the behavior of a terrorist organization that believes it still holds leverage.

And why wouldn’t Hamas believe that? Every concession reinforces the perception that Hamas can survive this war intact. Every negotiation signals that Hamas remains a legitimate actor on the world stage. Every delay in decisive action tells Hamas that time is on its side.History offers sobering lessons. After World War I, Germany was not treated as fully defeated. The Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh penalties but left the German state intact. The result? Resentment, rearmament, and ultimately, World War II. Compare that to the post-1945 approach: unconditional surrender, occupation, and systemic reform. The difference between those two outcomes is the difference between temporary respite and lasting peace.Defeat is not a state of mind – it is a state of reality. Hamas will be defeated only when it is treated as if it has been defeated. That means no negotiations, no concessions, no recognition. It means dismantling Hamas’s military capability, destroying its command structure, and eliminating its ability to govern. It means making clear to the people of Gaza and to the entire region that Hamas’s experiment in terror has ended, permanently.

Some argue that unconditional surrender is unrealistic in today’s world. They point to humanitarian concerns, international pressure, and the complexity of urban warfare. These are real challenges, but they do not change the fundamental truth: as long as Hamas believes it can survive, it will fight. As long as Hamas believes it can extract concessions, it will continue to take hostages, launch rockets, and manipulate global opinion. And it will always be successful, at least in its own eyes. The cycle will never end until Hamas is not just defeated militarily, but delegitimized politically and socially.

Look back at Japan and Germany. Their transformation required years of occupation, demilitarization, and cultural change. It was painful, but it worked. Today, these countries are among the most stable and prosperous nations on earth. That outcome was possible because the Allies understood that partial measures would not suffice. They understood that evil ideologies must be uprooted completely, not managed or contained.

Israel faces the same choice today. Do we aim for a temporary ceasefire, knowing that Hamas will rearm and regroup? Do we settle for a negotiated outcome, knowing that Hamas will claim victory and inspire the next generation of jihadists? Or do we commit to the hard, costly, and morally necessary path of unconditional defeat?

To policymakers in Washington, Jerusalem, and Brussels: You must stop treating Hamas as a legitimate actor. Stop rewarding terror with concessions. Stop sending mixed signals that prolong this war and embolden extremists worldwide. Declare clearly and unequivocally that Hamas will not survive: not as a military force, not as a governing entity, not as an ideology.

This is not a call for vengeance. It is a call for clarity. The world must stop pretending that Hamas is a political movement. It is a terrorist organization, and it should be treated as such. No negotiations. No concessions. No recognition. Only unconditional surrender.

Until that happens, every ceasefire will be temporary. Every hostage deal will be a prelude to the next kidnapping. Every concession will be a down payment on the next war. Hamas will be defeated only when it is treated as if it has been defeated – completely, irrevocably, and without conditions.

Good things,

Ari Sacher