Pompeo: Israel Must Continue ‘Enormously Good Work’ Of Last Six Weeks in Gaza and ‘Annihilate’ Hamas

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Israel must and will continue its efforts in Gaza after the “Diplomatic Pause” and the return of hostages taken in the October 7th attack.

Speaking with Fox News anchor Dana Perino on America’s Newsroom Wednesday, the former CIA director and top Donald Trump official said that Israel must continue its mission to “annihilate” Hamas in the Gaza strip after the “pause” and release of hostages, because that mission is the reason the hostages are even coming home.

Perino brought up a Wall Street Journal board editorial Wednesday on how the diplomatic pause, while allowing a way to bring home some of those taken hostage by Hamas terrorists in the bloodthirsty October 7 attack from Gaza on Israeli civilians, will also allow the terrorist some breathing room during which to regroup after weeks of being devastated by the IDF.

She asked Pompeo about the “excruciating” decision Israel faces, and Pompeo agreed that it is tough, expressed confidence Israel’s security officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “understand the mission set, which is the complete annihilation of Hamas,” and then pointed out that Hamas does not face similar difficulties because they do not value human life.

“The excruciating nature of this decision that the Israeli leadership had to go through is not something the Hamas leaders suffer. They’re just about killing. They’re just about destruction. They’re just about wanton rape,” he said. “They don’t value human life in the way we do. And so I think that does set the mission and the context against which this release happens.”

“Make no mistake about it, the Israelis must continue their effort,” said Pompeo. “The reason these hostages are coming home, if they do, the reason they will be returned to the families is because of the enormously good work the Israelis have done to put pressure on Hamas leadership over the past six plus weeks.”

The two also discussed the danger of Hamas instructing the women and children they’ve chosen to release from among the kidnap victims will be told what to say about their captivity, on pain of the left-behind loved ones being punished.

PERINO: The Wall Street Journal writing today in its editorial board: “The Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal. Innocents will be freed, but the terrorists get a chance to regroup.” Also saying that “Even as Israelis rejoice for the women and children who will return home, they know Hamas is rejoicing too. Its war crimes have been rewarded.” This is an excruciatingly difficult decision for the Israelis. Do you think that there’s a lot more perhaps that they know behind the scenes that gives them comfort that this is the right move at this time?

POMPEO: Well, Diana, good morning. I’m confident that they do. I’m confident that the security folks in Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu, understand the mission set, which is the complete annihilation of Hamas. The unmitigated joy of those families when they see their loved ones returned, if it in fact, happens as they have described it, is unimaginable. And Dana you know something we should all just remember here in America: the Hamas folks don’t feel that way.

The excruciating nature of this decision that the Israeli leadership had to go through is not something the Hamas leaders suffer. They’re just about killing. They’re just about destruction. They’re just about wanton rape. They don’t value human life in the way we do. And so I think that does set the mission and the context against which this release happens. I’m so happy that this is going to happen.

I pray that Hamas will, for the first time in a long time, live up to a promise it’s made. The devil in this deal will prove to be in the details, just as that devil sits in Tehran today. Make no mistake about it, the Israelis must continue their effort. The reason these hostages are coming home, if they do, the reason they will be returned to the families is because of the enormously good work the Israelis have done to put pressure on Hamas leadership over the past six plus weeks.

PERINO: So there’s two things I wanted to add. So there is a three-year-old American girl that’s being held. She will turn four on Friday. She might be released and she won’t be the one talking to the media.

But as I understand it, several past experiences would lead us to believe that adult hostages that are released, these women and older children that are going to be released in this first 50 and it’s likely they’ve been given instruction by Hamas to go on air to talk about how wonderfully they were treated, because they’ve been warned that their loved ones who are going to be left behind, the men, the brothers, the husbands, the fathers, will be in danger if they don’t.

And I think that’s something we all need to keep in mind as we start to hear from them.

POMPEO: Dana, that’s a that’s a good thought to hold. These folks will not only have been through the horrors of detention by these barbaric terrorists, but they will be under continued pressure, as will the Israeli leadership and the families of these hostages to speak about this in a way that does its level best to get the remaining 150 some hostages home as well.

Its a terrible conundrum. I’m guessing we’ll learn about the conditions of detention of all of these hostages when and if these folks are ultimately released. I pray that that’s so, because only continued pressure will get the remaining hostages home. We need to bring them home now.

The Israelis need to bring them home now and Hamas needs to release them now. And the butchers in Tehran need to support that.

PERINO: Well, as soon as the pause starts, you can bet that there are going to be voices calling for a permanent cease fire. And Israel won’t accept that. They have determined that they are going to destroy Hamas. So that will happen. Again, that’s another situation where Israel will be under a lot of pressure, perhaps even by the Biden administration.

Watch the clip above, via Fox News.