We had previously reported on Hamas’ claim that “the fate of many of the remaining 136 Israeli hostages still in captivity has become unknown,” naturally blaming Israel for it.

The terrorists had just released photos of three of the hostages, saying that their fate would soon be revealed, so this is no surprise to anyone:

Hamas says two Israeli hostages are dead, as IDF calls videos ‘psychological torture’ of captives’ families

By Andrew Carey, Lianne Kolirin and Tara John, CNN | Tuesday, January 16, 2024 | 6:03 AM EST

(CNN) Israel said Monday that Hamas is carrying out “psychological torment” as the militant group released a third video in the space of 24 hours featuring the same three hostages being held in Gaza, the last of which appears to show two of the hostages dead.

“Hamas are hit badly by the IDF and all that is left for them is to bring psychological torment to the families [of the hostages], leaving the IDF to clarify things for the families later,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters on Monday.

The first video, released Sunday, showed clips of the three hostages – Noa Argamani, Itai Svirsky and Yossi Sharabi – speaking to a camera. It ended with a caption saying, “Tomorrow, we will inform you of their fate.”

A second video, released Monday, in an apparent attempt by Hamas to ramp up concerns, repeated the message that the fate of the three hostages would soon be made public.

The third video, released later Monday, appeared to show the dead bodies of two of the hostages, Svirsky and Sharabi. It also featured Noa Argamani saying both men had been killed by Israeli bombing.

Were they killed by the bombings? Perhaps, or perhaps Hamas simply murdered them, and forced Miss Argamani to say what she said. We’d all like to think we’d have been brave enough to refuse that, but who can know how he’d really react with a knife at his throat?

Svirsky was kidnapped while visiting his family on Kibbutz Be’eri from his home in Tel Aviv. The 38-year-old dual Israeli-German citizen had been at the house of his mother, Orit Svirsky, a committed peace activist.

Orit was gunned down in front of him, and it later emerged that her ex-husband Rafi – Svirsky’s father – was also murdered, alongside his three dogs. Svirsky’s 97-year-old maternal grandmother, Aviva Sela, survived the attack, but her Filipina carer, Grace Cabrera, 45, was killed.

This shows just how evil Hamas are. They slew a “committed peace activist,” the kind of person most sympathetic to the Palestinian Arab cause. To Hamas, the only good Jew is a dead Jew.

Israel is, of course, absolutely right: Hamas are conducting “psychological torment,” because the psychological, including appeals to soft-hearted and soft-headed Westerners, are the only weapons they have left. They started a war that they probably did not expect Israel to carry as far as she has, and, other than some long-range idiocy by Iran and the Houthis in Yemen, the Arab/Muslim nations have not come to Hamas’ aid the way that they might have hoped.

Western liberals great failing is that they just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that, their protestations about being appreciative of other cultures notwithstanding, they simply don’t comprehend that the Arabs are not Westerners, and do not think the was Westerners do. They just don’t get that any early ceasefire the Israelis grant will just be to enable Hamas to survive to plan for and eventually launch their next attack.