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It looks like we’re getting closer to an Israel/Hamas ceasefire agreement involving the release of hundreds of Palestinians and some but not all hostages, which, honestly, is a little surprising 

Goodness knows it’s overdue, given the tragic fallout from Hamas’ murderous attack on October 7, 2023. 

But I’m sceptical about the potential for any lasting peace with the word being that this particular ceasefire will be for 6 weeks. It’s a far cry from a “truce” or “peace deal”. 

And that’s because Hamas will never give up its fight, given its intense hatred of Jews and the Jewish state. That hatred is on full display in its rhetoric, with ongoing promises to rid the world of Israel and the Jewish people. 

We’ve heard that sentiment echoed time and time again, at protests around the world with chants of the either mindless or deliberately genocidal slogan: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. 

So, I just don’t trust that Hamas won’t want to have another crack at it — no matter how long they have to bide their time. 

While I could be tempted to say, given the tragedy, that it’s unhelpful to pick sides, I can definitively say I am NOT on the side of Hamas. 

Regardless of any assurances they might pretend to offer, we must recognize that their ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel. And they will not stop. 

Recently, there was a debate at the Oxford Union, proposing the shameless motion: “This House Believes Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide.” 

Just the fact that the debate was framed in such a ridiculous way shows how far Oxford has slipped with its standards. The audience was packed with Hamas sympathisers, while only a handful of Jewish students were brave enough to turn up.   

Amid the jeering, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a senior Hamas founder and leader who defected to Israel’s side, asked the audience to indicate, by a show of hands, how many of them would have reported prior knowledge of the October 7 atrocities to Israel. 

Not even a quarter of the crowd raised their hands. In the so-called civilised halls of Oxford. No matter the atrocities of that day and the death toll in Gaza, they still wouldn’t have acted to stop it. If that is the attitude within Oxford– albeit with audience stacked with Hamas sympathisers, what chance is there that Hamas leadership has changed its mind? None, I’d say. 

We can leave any further discussion of Oxford for another time, while still seeing the problems that Britain is struggling with. But it also demonstrates that, even in the context of a so-called peaceful debate, there is so much entrenched hatred against Israel that you end up with a sickening response, exposing people’s true colours. 

I’d even go so far as to say that Hamas hates Israel more than it loves its own people, preferring to use them as human shields. 

So no, I don’t believe the prospects of a successful ceasefire that won’t eventually lead to Hamas launching another attack, in the way they did on October the 7th   

When protesters chant “Free Palestine,” I’d say they’re close—but they’re missing a couple of crucial words. What they should be chanting is: “Free Palestine—from Hamas”. 

Because until that happens, there will be no hope of peace in the Middle East.