More than a month after Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel and her people, both parties have agreed to a deal on hostage and prisoner exchanges and a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza . While civilians will receive food, water, and emergency care amid the exchange negotiations, Hamas’s radical indoctrination of antisemitism will continue to spread.

“The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: O’ Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him,” reads the Hamas Covenant, which outlines a path to the group’s goal of destroying Israel through jihad. This mantra, riddled with blatant hate, was clearly reflected when the terrorist group broke an ongoing ceasefire with its attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that prompted this wave of conflict. Footage of Israeli citizens being shot while driving their cars, children being murdered in their bunk beds, and families hunted in their own neighborhoods made it clear to the rest of the world just how serious Hamas is about this goal.

And yet calls for a permanent ceasefire continue to flood the media, even as antisemitic incidents are on the rise in our communities. There seems to be a common misunderstanding of what a “ceasefire” means. To be clear, there was already a ceasefire in place, which Hamas broke on Oct. 7. A permanent ceasefire now would simply allow the terrorist group to relocate additional resources — within civilian residential areas — and prepare for the next attack against Israel that its covenant blatantly calls for.

No country can be expected to stand down when its opposition has enshrined its complete destruction in its manifesto and has repeatedly made clear that it will pursue further, more extreme violence than the atrocities of Oct. 7.

There’s a reason why Hamas, often referred to as a “political” or “militant” group, has been a member of the U.S. State Department’s list of designated foreign terrorist organizations since October 1997. It has a storied history of tying Islam to radical jihadists. Even after the attacks last month in Israel, Hamas leaders cited their commitment to advancing their hate-filled agenda to the New York Times , arguing the carnage on both sides is a “great act” that puts “the Palestinian issue back on the table.” One Hamas leader claimed that one success from the attacks is that now no one in the region is “experiencing calm” and that he hopes “the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders.”

While there is no end in sight for this radical and evil ideology, the U.S. remains committed in support of our most reliable partner in the Middle East. This month, the House passed a bipartisan Israel aid bill that now awaits action in the Senate.

We must remain vigilant against groups that promote, incentivize, and execute this magnitude of hate and evil. As the hostages are returned and prisoners exchanged, I applaud those who are delivering aid to civilians in Gaza, and I hope they are thankful that only one party in this conflict takes Americans hostage.

Dan Newhouse represents Washington's 4th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.