The civilized world would be foolish not to honor their sacrifice

Several senior members of Hamas, the populist Palestinian political party, perished Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike while attempting to secure a lasting peace in the region. In other words, they died doing what they loved.

The strike occurred in Doha, Qatar, where many Hamas leaders have been residing in luxury since the group came into possession of several hundred Israeli combatants, sometimes referred to as "hostages," on Oct. 7, 2023. The decision to seek refuge in Qatar was motivated by the Hamas leadership's unwavering opposition to the colonialist violence taking place in Gaza, as well as a healthy fear of tunnels and other confined spaces.

The extent of the martyrdom has yet to be revealed. Israel was targeting four Hamas leaders, including chairman Khaled Meshaal and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who recently hosted talks with representatives from the notoriously pacifist nation of Iran. Their fates are unknown at this time, but Hamas officials told the New York Times that al-Hayya's son and his office manager were incinerated in the attack. Al Jazeera, the Qatari-funded media conglomerate, reported that the strike occurred as a team of Hamas diplomats was meeting to consider a peace proposal drafted by the United States.

The martyred statesmen's commitment to peace was such that they respectfully ignored the ultimatum President Donald Trump delivered over the weekend. "The Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well," he said. "I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

In a desperate bid for peace, the Hamas negotiators worked tirelessly to craft an even better deal. Their only mistake, perhaps, was the hubris of believing a Trump-authored proposal could ever be improved. On Monday, in what some experts described as a shrewd negotiating tactic, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim (peace be upon him?), sought to resolve the conflict by denouncing Trump's plan as a "humiliating surrender document," and insisting that the political party's "right" to militant self-defense and unconventional diplomatic operations, sometimes referred to as terrorism, could never be "relinquished." Alas, it failed.

Hamas allies were devastated by the apparent demise of their comrades. Former Obama adviser Tommy Vietor lashed out at Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.), who posted a GIF of a satisfied Winnie-the-Pooh in response to the news of Israel's strike in Qatar. "I fucking hate this idiotic, childish memeification of deadly serious issues," the Hamas advocate wrote on X. "Any hope of getting the remaining Israeli hostages out alive could be gone, any hope of ending the war in Gaza could be dead, and this clown is posting a Winnie-the-pooh gif."

Sources tell the Washington Free Beacon that Vietor and his former colleague, Ben "Hamas" Rhodes, are preparing to nominate their fallen comrades for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Indeed, the civilized world would be foolish not to honor their sacrifice.