You think the Mossad can hit them?Because that is the only thing holding Mossad back from clinical strikes against the top tier of Hamas in Qatar.Why do you think Hamas aren't freeing the hostages?Poll after poll... so there were statistically significant polls (one after the other) asking Gazans whether they felt the brutal murder of over 1000 Israeli civilians was "legitimate combat"?
And do you think they would react by killing hostages, thus making themselves even more of a target?
Hostages have historically proven to be how to get concessions out of Israel. Israel has now realized that negotiating for them is a negative-value option so the only solution is by force. The Israeli electorate is used to the reality of war and isn't going to go airhead at having to make a hard choice.I wouldn't use the word "hope". But pretty certain they expected a lot of reprisals. Hence, why they took hostages in the first place, because the scope of the October 7th attack was so over the top, they knew the response would be without mercy against the upper powers of Hamas, unless they had leverage. That is why all this killing by the IDF against Hamas is almost smack one's forehead frustrating. The IDF is eliminating the easiest part of the Hamas system to replace.Could it be that what is happening is what Hamas was hoping would happen?