At long last, our friends in Israel have won the war by defeating the depraved Hamas savages that launched the heinous, unprovoked attack from Gaza on Oct. 7. After the most devastating assault on Jews since the Holocaust, which was followed by two years of fighting, suffering, and death, the living hostages are home, and a new day has dawned in the Middle East.
Earlier this week, I joined my fellow Arkansans in rejoicing and thanking God for answering our prayers and bringing those hostages home to their families. At the same time we celebrate their reunions, though, we also pledge that we will never forget the innocent deceased victims of Hamas’s atrocities—many of whom have not yet been properly laid to rest. We will work to secure their remains and honor their memory through our commitment to a lasting and enduring peace in the Middle East.
When terrorists attacked, raped, maimed, and killed innocent Israelis and Americans and citizens of other nations on October 7, the Middle East was forever changed—but not in the way Hamas intended.
Instead of pressuring Israel to surrender, President Trump rejected the Obama-Biden policy of appeasement and weakness, and we backed Israel to the hilt.
Because of President Trump’s unrelenting pressure on Hamas and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decisive military action, Iran’s terrorist Ring of Fire around Israel is now a Ring of Smoke—smoking ruins. We have crippled Iran’s nuclear weapons program, we have weakened the Houthis, we have devastated Hezbollah, and we have destroyed Hamas’s political and military leadership.
This graphic shows just some of the depraved savages who are now rotting in Hell. If you have a chance to be Hamas’s next leader, you might want to think twice.
This is how we deliver peace through strength.
Though good has once again triumphed over evil, we must keep the pressure on to compel Hamas to demilitarize once and for all. As President Trump said this week, “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.”
Because let’s be clear: there can be no lasting peace for Gaza with Hamas sitting at the table.
For those who say otherwise, consider that as the rest of the world celebrates the return of the hostages and the cease-fire, Hamas terrorists have been publicly executing members of the opposition in Gaza in a last-ditch effort to hang on to their waning power.
This is appalling, but not surprising, given Hamas’s track record of using the people of Gaza as pawns to achieve its ultimate aim of eliminating Israel. Time and again, we’ve seen Hamas use innocent people as human shields and weaponize humanitarian aid by withholding food and supplies from children. These are the sort of vile intimidation tactics that Hamas terrorists have used for decades to remain in power.
No more.
Today, with our friends in Israel and the Arab world, we have the opportunity to chart a path toward peace and prosperity for the people of Gaza.
And while today is a day for rejoicing, let it also serve as a reminder of one of history’s timeless lessons: bad things happen when you lose a war, especially when you started the war. These men can attest to that lesson.
