Former Israeli government spokesperson warns country is in an 'impossible bind' in Gaza
After more than a year and a half of war, Israel has found itself in an "impossible dilemma" as it tries to defeat Hamas and bring home the remaining hostages, former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy says.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Levy said that it is crucial that Hamas not remain in power — and that it is also vital to save the hostages languishing in tunnels under Gaza.
"If this war ends with the Hamas regime that perpetrated October 7th still in power, it won't end, it will just pause, and the next war will be a matter of time," Levy said. "Israelis don't want war. We need this war to be over, but we need this war to be over with the total defeat of the Hamas regime, or else this won't be the last Gaza war."
Israel has faced international criticism over its handling of the war in Gaza, with the U.K., France and Canada releasing a joint statement earlier this month demanding that Jerusalem end its military operations in the Gaza Strip. The U.K. also suspended trade talks with Israel because of London's objections to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of being "on the wrong side of humanity."
"I think anyone criticizing Israel needs to come up with a better plan for how you remove Hamas from power, because otherwise they're just giving it political power and trying to save [it] from the war that it started," Levy told Fox News Digital.
The international community has been pressuring Israel regarding hostage swaps. Jerusalem has been pressured to free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages taken on Oct. 7. Levy acknowledged that while Israel cannot leave the hostages behind, there are valid concerns about these releases.
"Israel is facing the impossible dilemma because Hamas is demanding the hostage-takers of tomorrow for the hostages of today," Levy said.
Levy also called out the international community, saying that most countries would not "pay ransoms to terrorist hostage-takers."
"Here's the absurdity of international pressure on Israel to pay a ransom. Most countries don't pay ransoms to terrorist hostage takers because they understand it only incentivizes more hostage taking, it rewards it, it encourages more of it," Levy told Fox News Digital. "Israel has paid a ransom to get hostages out in two cease-fires because we say we know the dangers, we know it's risky, but we've got to get out these poor people who are being starved and tortured and even executed in the dungeons."
Levy believes Israel "found itself stymied along the way" as countries that initially backed efforts to defeat Hamas "got cold feet very quickly" as they understood what removing the terror group from power would entail.
Looking at the broader picture, Levy wonders if Israel had taken on a different strategy from day one, whether the war would have ended sooner, though he admits it would have meant "defying international pressure."
"I do wonder if that had been the strategy from the beginning—defying international pressure—then it's possible the war might have ended sooner," Levy said. "But again, Israel is caught in this impossible bind because there are still hostages who are trapped in Gaza, whom Hamas is threatening to execute if the Israeli army gets anywhere near them to try to rescue them."
This is not a new or empty threat. Several former hostages reported being threatened and said they were told that their captors would execute them if Israeli forces got close. Six other former hostages, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, met this fate when they were fatally shot just before the IDF could reach them.
Not all of Israel's international counterparts have turned on the Jewish state. America's approach to Netanyahu shifted as President Donald Trump returned to the White House. While the Biden administration put more pressure on Netanyahu, Trump appears to support Israel doing what it must to end the war.
Levy told Fox News Digital that "Israelis definitely got the impression that the Trump administration has Israel's back and is willing to endorse any military strategy that it wants to implement, but there are also signs the Trump administration, you know, may want to wrap this up very quickly."
Since Trump's return to the Oval Office, dozens of hostages have been freed, including American-Israelis Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Edan Alexander.
Trying to get the hostages out of harm's way while also taking Hamas out of power seem to be conflicting goals—something Levy acknowledges, saying, "We cannot afford to pay this ransom, but we also can't afford not to pay it."
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For a two-year stretch, the "Magnificent Seven" stocks led a small cohort of stocks outperforming the S&P 500 (^GSPC). Now, a broader set of names are participating in year-to-date gains, and several Wall Street strategists see that as a bullish sign for markets. Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer writes in today's Morning Brief: Read more here. Shares in airlines are under pressure from the surge in crude oil prices, which is likely to hike their fuel costs. United Airlines (UAL) led the stock declines, sliding 5.2% in pre-market trading. Delta Air Lines (DAL) shares fell 4.8%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) backed off 3.1%, and American Airlines (AAL) moved 4.3% lower. Carriers are already grappling with a slowdown in bookings, the risk of new US tariffs on imported planes, and a hit to consumer confidence from trade tensions. Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear and military facilities is spooking markets across the board. Here's where major assets stand early on Friday morning amid mounting fears of an escalating conflict. Oil Crude futures were up about 8%, with Brent (BZ=F) trading at $74.60 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) at $73.. Both benchmarks were easing back from a steeper spike in the aftermath of the strike, which saw Brent surge over 13%. Gold The precious metal jumped 1% to about $3,437 an ounce as investors sought out safer assets. Gold has already risen about 30% this year so far as President Trump's trade policy unsettled markets. US Dollar The greenback (DX=F) rose in the rush to havens, gaining over 0.6% against a basket of other major currencies. But some see the rally as more limited than expected, putting its reputation as a crisis shelter to the test. Bitcoin The biggest cryptocurrency (BTC-USD) sank as much as 3% against the dollar after the attack. It has pared losses slightly, and is now down about 2% at around $104,800. Other digital tokens also retreated, with ether (ETH-USD) pulling back almost 8% at one point. Economic data: University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (June preliminary) Earnings: No notable earnings releases. Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: What analysts are watching as MidEast war risks loom Oil surges as Israel strikes on Iran stoke tensions This year's stock rally is about more than the 'Magnificent 7' Gold jumps after Israel launches strikes on Iran Israel hits Iran, warns more attacks to come Robotaxi wars: How Waymo got the edge on Tesla (so far) Oil outlook in flux as analysts revise views after Israel strike US dollar rises in rush to safety after Israel strikes Iran President Trump weighed in early Friday with his first comments on the escalating situation in the Middle East. On Truth Social, he posted a screed urging Iran to "make a deal." The only event on Trump's public schedule today is national security council meeting at 11 a.m. ET. Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Israel launched a surprise strike on an Iranian military site overnight. The move raised fears of wider conflict in the region. As a result, energy stocks rose in premarket trading. Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG) stock was up 6%, and Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY) rose 5%. Defense stocks also climbed before the bell as investors reacted to Israel's strike on Iran. RTX Corporation (RTX) was up 6%, and Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) rose 4%. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies fell as the Israeli attack on Iran shook global markets. Both of the two major currencies, bitcoin and ether, held significant losses. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Asian markets sank late Thursday evening as an Israeli attack on Iran shook global markets, leading to widespread sell-offs as investors sought safer assets. Reuters reports: Israel has attacked Iran in the largest recent escalation of tensions in the region. Markets reacted swiftly to the news, with the three major gauges all plunging over 1%. Gold (GC=F) and oil prices surged with investors scurrying to safer assets, hoping to avoid the worst of a financial shake up. Iran is the third largest producer of oil within OPEC+, and the attack has caused prices to surge over 5%. Brent crude (BZ=F) futures jumped 5.5% to $73.27 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate surged 5.9% to $72.05 a barrel. Gold (GC=F) popped 0.9% to $3,434.40 an ounce. A retaliatory attack from Iran against Israel is expected imminently, with a "special situation" being declared by the Isreali defense minister. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took "unilateral action", clarifying that the US was not involved in the strikes ahead of a sixth meeting between the US and Iran on Sunday. Read more here. 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