To the Editor,

Israel has to eliminate Hamas. That is the only just and proportionate response to the genocidal slaughter of innocent Israeli civilians that took place on October 7th, 2023.

On that day, Islamic jihadists, members of the terrorist group Hamas, crossed into Israel on a mission to kill as many Jews as possible. Had the opportunity presented itself, the jihadists would have continued their murderous rampage until every Jew in Israel was dead.

These Islamic jihadists regard themselves as true believers. They believe their religion gives them special dispensation to persecute and kill non-Muslims.

That explains the barbarity of October 7th, when jihadists butchered their Jewish victims with a celebratory abandon unrestrained by any sense of guilt or remorse. Given the chance, Hamas will do it again.

That is why the Israelis must eliminate Hamas. They need to do so for their own preservation and, ultimately, for ours, as well.

A.H. Liddle,

of Warwick