Fred Fleitz to Newsmax: No Peace Until 'Hamas Is Destroyed'

Hamas has been holding hostages from Israel, including the six who were found murdered in Gaza Saturday, as an insurance policy for its survival, and "there cannot be peace" until the terror organization is "destroyed," retired CIA analyst Fred Fleitz told Newsmax, Sunday.

"It's horrible," Fleitz, who served as chief of staff of the National Security Council under former President Donald Trump, said on Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "These beautiful young people were murdered just before they were about to be rescued by Israeli Defense Forces."

According to an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the six hostages, Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Israelis Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, were "brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them."

"These are the people who were supposed to be seeing American and Israeli and other nations to negotiate with, to bring about peace," Fleitz said. "Let's be clear here. Hamas took these hostages as an insurance policy so they could survive as an organization after the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

"They know that Israel, the Israeli country, and the Israeli people value life and they would do anything to get their people back."

But Hamas doesn't "care about human life," he added. "They will murder their own people. They'll murder Israelis and frankly, there cannot be peace until Hamas is destroyed."

Former Israeli diplomat Shahar Azani, appearing on Newsmax with Fleitz, said that Israelis live with the images of the hostages that were taken on Oct. 7.

"I want to send a clear message to the world," said Azani. "Deal now or deal later, but Israel will never forget. Israel will never forgive for decades from now about what happened to Israelis on that fateful day."

Israel will also "never again" allow for "such a massacre to take place on our borders," he added.

"We hold on to hope, and we hope to bring as many as possible alive," said Azani. "But we also understand the necessity to safeguard Israeli safety and security, and to make sure that what Hamas promised only a few months ago that if they get a chance, they'll do it again and again, and again shall never come to be."

Fleitz, meanwhile, said he is glad that President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the hostage deaths, as has Vice President and Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

However, he pointed out that "there's been so little criticism of Hamas by this administration and so much criticism of the Israeli government."

"There's been angry phone calls from Joe Biden because [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu would not make enough concessions to get a one-sided deal," Fleitz said. "This is not enough. Donald Trump has been much clearer. If you harm an American, your life is forfeit. That's the kind of language we need from our current president and our next president."

He added that he thinks the administration is offering "window dressing" because Biden wants a cease-fire deal.

'They want to implement this two-state solution that would allow Hamas to survive and plan for another terrorist attack," said Fleitz. "Frankly, this administration, they didn't get it. And they still don't get it."

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