Professional security analysis shows concessions embolden Hamas-backed networks, increasing Israeli kidnappings despite defensive restraint globally
Israel’s internal security chief has delivered a stark, professional warning: the manner in which hostages were released during wartime negotiations is being interpreted by terrorist organizations as proof that abductions pay.
According to reports published by Yedioth Aharonoth, Shin Bet Director David Zini told cabinet members that the threat of kidnappings has not declined—on the contrary, it has grown and is expected to intensify. His assessment was not political commentary, nor criticism of government decisions, but a sober intelligence evaluation of enemy behavior patterns.
Zini’s remarks were delivered during a confidential security discussion focused on strengthening protections for Israelis, particularly on international flights. He deliberately avoided debating the moral or diplomatic costs of hostage deals, instead highlighting how Hamas and allied terrorist networks—often sheltered or enabled by hostile regional actors—draw operational lessons from Israeli concessions.
Senior diplomatic officials confirmed that these warnings have been raised repeatedly in closed forums. From the perspective of Israel’s enemies, the conclusion is dangerous but simple: kidnapping Israelis creates leverage, publicity, and results.
The Shin Bet neither denied the substance of the comments nor elaborated publicly, reiterating its long-standing policy of not discussing classified cabinet deliberations. Yet the message is clear—Israel’s restraint, even when driven by humanitarian concern, is being weaponized by terror groups that reject coexistence and democratic norms.
This reality underscores a widening gap between Israel’s values and the tactics of Hamas-led terror infrastructures, which thrive on hostage-taking, civilian targeting, and psychological warfare—often with silence or indirect backing from parts of the Arab and Islamist world unwilling to confront extremism.
