It's December 24, and as Yogi Berra once said, "it's getting late early." The clock reads 4:30 pm, and much like the day outside, the mood is rapidly dimming. I find myself sinking into a state of depression, a condition exacerbated by the ongoing war in Israel, which has significantly shortened my fuse. I constantly turn to i24 news for updates on the war, but the only thing I keep watching there is how much we want our hostages back. The collective yearning for their return permeates the air. I know how difficult it is for the people of Israel, for most Jews throughout the world, for friends and relatives of the hostages, and for me as well. I know and I feel the pain. The frustration mounts. yet I can't lay blame on the government; I understand the difficulty of their task. I realize they try. The government must carry the burden of guilt for the lapse on October 7, feeling responsible for the repercussions. Their determination to bring relief to those who suffered is palpable. However, the desire for the hostages' return alone doesn't guarantee their release. Another player in this mental struggle is Hamas, the bloodthirsty criminals reveling in our desperation. They manipulate our suffering, prolonging our painful anxiety for their sadistic pleasure. Yet, there's a crucial aspect to this drama — a harsh reality of life. The more desperately you need something, the less likely you are to succeed in obtaining it. Using a financial analogy, when in dire need of cash, when you don’t have enough to pay your bills, banks hesitate to offer loans. They worry that you will not be able to pay it back. Conversely, when drowning in liquidity, banks clamor for your attention. The same logic applies to hostages; our emotional demonstrations inadvertently raise the price Hamas demands. Our public displays, demands on the government, and visible desperation all contribute to escalating the price for hostages' return. Paradoxically, our actions work against our goal. Instead of pressuring Hamas, we inadvertently encourage them to demand more, making negotiations increasingly difficult. We keep doing the opposite of what we should be doing. We keep raising the price for the hostages' return. We have been raising the price to the point that Hamas is now refusing to negotiate because they know that the next offer from Israel will be much better. They want Israel to surrender. They want an unconditional surrender as the price for the hostages' return. Stopping the war short of defeating and eradicating Hamas is equivalent to an unconditional surrender. If we settle for less than complete victory and the eradication of Hamas, the long-term consequence is more bloodshed. The release of Gilad Shalit serves as a stark example — a thousand killers were freed, including Yahya Sinwar and those behind the October 7 massacre. Do we want to repeat this mistake? How many lives is one saved life worth? It's a challenging question, often avoided, but it's the harsh truth. If pressure on the government is needed, it should be subtle, without public attention. Publicity only hinders our chances of a quicker resolution, inadvertently aiding Hamas and sabotaging our own efforts. It's crucial to act wisely and cease counterproductive actions. Dr. Avi Perry, talk show host at Paltalk News Network (PNN), is the author of "Fundamentals of Voice Quality Engineering in Wireless Networks,"and "72 Virgins," a thriller about the covert war on Islamic terror. He was a VP at NMS Communications, a Bell Laboratories - distinguished staff member and manager, as well as a delegate of the US and Lucent Technologies to the ITU—the UN International Standards body in Geneva, a professor at Northwestern University and Intelligence expert for the Israeli Government. He may be reached through his web site www.aviperry.org
