I would like to thank Steven Osborne for his letter to the editor in the Winnipeg Free Press of March 1, 2024, Hostage release won’t spare Gaza, as he beautifully illustrates the main point of my February 28, 2024 letter in the Winnipeg Free Press, Why is the world letting Hamas get off scott free, in which, well, he lets Hamas get off scott free.

       In his response Steven Osborne does not mention, let alone hint at the fact, that the current situation in the Gaza Strip was brought about by the brutal attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas on 7 October, 2023.  During that attack, some 1200 Israelis were brutally tortured and murdered, their bodies so mutilated that it took DNA testing to identify them. 

       One person murdered that day was Vivien Silver, a Winnipegger who had moved to Israel many decades ago and became an important figure in the peace movement.  Several years ago, Vivien took me into the Gaza Strip, with other Israeli women who believed in peace.  We spent the day with Palestinian women who shared the same dream.  I met a woman who was planning to run in next Gazan election on a Peace Platform.  It was an extraordinary day, a glimpse of what could be.  Shortly after, Hamas seized control over Gaza and the borders closed.

       Steven Osborne does not seem to comprehend that when an act of violence is committed, especially one as egregious as the 7 October Hamas attack, the perpetrator of this act, is responsible for the fallout and must be held accountable.  His denial of the role that Hamas has played and his refusal to hold Hamas accountable for the current situation is concerning.  Steven Osborne expresses compassion for the Palestinian people.  The best thing he could do would be to recognize Hamas’ accountability and pressurize them to seriously negotiate an end to the current horrendous situation in Gaza.

       Recent reports have voiced agreement between several countries that Hamas must be removed from the position of government in the Gaza Strip, with Saudi Arabia playing the lead role in the rebuilding of Gaza under a new government.

       It is my sincere hope that the care of this new government for the Palestinian people will far exceed their hatred of the Israelis.