Only on the anti-Israel left can rescuing hostages be pitched as a bad thing. Israel Defense Force (IDF) launched a successful operation that rescued four hostages from the terrorist group Hamas. Israel hadn't even gotten the hostages to their families before the negative stories started dropping - it's just the latest in the slanted coverage of anything involving the Jewish state.

The operation itself was a resounding success. Israel planned it for weeks and caught Hamas by surprise. Hamas hid the hostages in civilian buildings, using Palestinians as human shields. The dramatic raid hit two buildings at the same time and freed four hostages.

While families were celebrating getting loved ones back, the anti-Israel left started the drumbeat. First, they claimed that hundreds of Palestinians were killed in the raid. And second, they claim the raid was bad politics. Let's address both ridiculous claims.

On the first part, the Associated Press and other news organizations led the way. Headlines came out saying, "Gaza Health Ministry Says 274 Palestinians Were Killed In Israeli Raid That Rescued 4 Hostages."

The AP explains why this report is important: "The killing of so many Palestinians, in a raid that Israelis celebrated as a stunning success because all four hostages were rescued alive, showed the heavy cost of such operations on top of the already soaring toll of the 8-month-long war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack."

It's a disingenuous point to make, at best. And at worst, it's antisemitic.

Just days before this event, the Associated Press released its own analysis of numbers put out by the Gaza Health Ministry. It noted, "The Health Ministry announces a new death toll for the war nearly every day." The problem with those reports? No one can verify them:

The daily death tolls, however, are provided without supporting data. In February, ministry officials said 75% of the dead were women and children – a level that was never confirmed in the detailed reports. And as recently as March, the ministry's daily reports claimed that 72% of the dead were women and children, even as underlying data clearly showed the percentage was well below that.

Other experts looking at the Gaza Health Ministry numbers noted that the reports were statistically impossible. Even more concerning, the way deaths are reported in Gaza is identical to how China faked its death numbers during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

None of this should be surprising because Hamas reports these numbers. It's a group bent on the eradication of all Jews. It is blaming Israel for everything terrible that happens in the war that Hamas started.

Hamas counts the deaths of its terrorists as part of the casualties. Hamas also blames Israel for civilian deaths that Hamas causes or human shields that Hamas uses. Hamas invents and causes deaths and confirms nothing. The White House has admitted nothing the Health Ministry reports is believable. Trusting a terrorist organization for reliable figures is absurd on every level, yet that's what we get from those who hate Israel.

As Seth Mandel put it, "Hamas lied that people died."

The only people taking these numbers seriously are those supporting the end goals of Hamas. That's why you see 'The Squad' members pushing these numbers and other radicals on the left. They repeat what a terrorist organization says because they're like every other antisemite groping for anything to deflect blame to Israel.

The second point is that this rescue operation was "bad politics." The New York Times leads the way here, claiming, "But by Sunday, euphoria was already giving way to a harsh reality. The heavy air and ground assault that accompanied the rescue killed scores of Palestinians, including civilians, according to Gaza health officials. And the operation failed to resolve any of the deep dilemmas and challenges vexing the Israeli government."

The Times also repeated claims that rescuing four hostages would make it harder to bring the others home. The Times pushes the line that Israel should wait for Hamas to agree to a deal that brings everyone home.

As a reminder, as part of that waiting, Israel now believes a third of hostages have died in captivity. The Hamas raid happened in October, and every day that goes by increases the odds that more hostages are killed in Hamas' "care." Hamas has rejected every deal proffered to them. The only deals they've accepted are conditions agreed to only by Hamas and no one else.

Calling the rescue of hostages "bad politics" ignores the obvious: Israel saved some that they could while working on others. It's called a victory. If that kind of victory means Hamas is going to mistreat other hostages, why should anyone trust Hamas to treat them well, even if they get what they want?

Hamas raped and pillaged its way across Israel. It's a terrorist organization. Hamas doesn't want a separate state, freedom for Palestinians, or anything else. Hamas wants dead Jews. Anything Israel does to reduce the number of dead is a good thing. Every person who has died in this conflict is on the head of Hamas and its leadership.

The United States should stop trying to negotiate with barbaric terrorists and aid Israel in reducing Hamas to dust.