Israel will not surrender its future to Hamas. Its UN ambassador just reminded the world why

A Hamas terrorist opened a refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of Coca-Cola, and took a drink. Just feet away, two wounded Israeli children watched in horror. Their father had just sacrificed his life to save them.That was the horrifying scene described by Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, as he addressed the Security Council on Thursday.Three years after Oct. 7, 2023, the U.N. Security Council is still discussing how to bring peace to Gaza while Hamas remains armed. Danon delivered a forceful warning about allowing Hamas and other extremist organizations to dictate the Middle East’s future. His remarks came days after the third anniversary of Oct. 7, as Israel continues to confront threats to its security.Danon wasn’t simply recounting atrocities. He was confronting a question that three years of negotiations, resolutions, and international promises have failed to resolve: How can Gaza have a peaceful future while Hamas retains the weapons and ideology responsible for its devastation?He shared the story of the Taasa family from Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli community near Gaza whose residents had long believed in coexistence.According to Danon’s account, on Oct. 7, Gil Taasa rushed his two young sons, Koren and Shai, into their safe room as Hamas terrorists invaded. His eldest son, Or, had gone surfing at Zikim Beach, where terrorists murdered him.When attackers reached the family’s home and threw grenades into the safe room, Gil covered one with his body. He died protecting his children.The boys survived, badly wounded. Danon described how the terrorists dragged them into the kitchen, where one casually helped himself to a drink from the refrigerator.Think about the depravity of that moment. A father dead. His children bleeding. A terrorist so unmoved by their suffering that he stopped for a refreshment.This is not simply a story about what happened three years ago. It is a warning about what happens when an ideology glorifying murder is allowed to survive.Danon told the council that Hamas’s weapons, tunnels, and extremist ideology remain intact. He accused the organization of repeated ceasefire violations, planting explosives and preparing future attacks.His message was unmistakable: Hamas must disarm.Yet that demand continues to compete with endless discussions about reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, and political arrangements.Of course Gaza’s civilians need humanitarian assistance. Homes, schools, and hospitals need rebuilding. Palestinian families deserve a future free from violence and intimidation.The question is who will control that future.Rebuild Gaza while Hamas remains armed, and what prevents the same organization from diverting resources, intimidating civilians, and preparing another war?The Security Council endorsed a vision of Gaza as a deradicalized, terrorist-free territory that would pose no threat to its neighbors. Danon reminded its members of that commitment.A resolution means little without the willingness to enforce it.The problem also extends beyond Hamas.Danon challenged the Palestinian Authority, whose leadership has repeatedly postponed elections while Mahmoud Abbas continues a presidential term that began in 2005.More than two decades later, Palestinians are still waiting for meaningful democratic accountability. The possibility of another Hamas electoral victory raises an uncomfortable question: What kind of political environment allows an extremist organization to remain a credible alternative?Danon also accused the Palestinian Authority of perpetuating radicalization through education and financial policies involving convicted terrorists and their families.The Palestinian Authority has announced reforms, whose implementation deserves scrutiny. Yet a leadership claiming to support coexistence must demonstrate that commitment through the institutions shaping its next generation.Children should be taught how to build a future, not inherit a war.That is why the Abraham Accords matter.Israel’s diplomatic relationships with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco demonstrate that regional cooperation is possible. Trade, tourism, innovation, and security partnerships offer a different vision for the Middle East, one built around what nations can accomplish together rather than whom they can destroy.Supporting Palestinian civilians does not require tolerating Hamas. Demanding Israeli security does not mean dismissing Palestinian suffering. Both populations deserve better than another generation defined by terrorism and war.Danon concluded by urging the Security Council to designate and sanction Hamas rather than allow armed extremists to dictate the region’s future.Three years after Oct. 7, the world has produced countless statements about peace. It has held meetings, passed resolutions, and promised a different future. Meanwhile, the ideology that drove terrorists into the Taasa family home remains a central obstacle to that future.Gil Taasa did not have the luxury of another meeting. When a grenade landed near his children, he acted.I WAS TAUGHT TO HATE JEWS AS A CHILD. OCT. 7 IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THAT HATRED WINSThe U.N. has had three years to consider what comes next.The question is no longer whether the world knows what Hamas is capable of. The question is what it intends to do about it.Ariella Noveck is a journalist specializing in antisemitism and Middle East affairs, with extensive experience covering Jewish communities worldwide. She can be followed on X and Instagram @AriellaNoveck.