Doha
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This week, CNN interviewed members of the Politburo of major Hamas negotiators and extremist groups, Ghazi Hamad, at a critical moment in the war with Israel.
Two weeks ago, Hamad survived an attack on the Hamas delegation in Qatar’s capital Doha. This was a key mediator of the conflict. The interviews covered a wide range of topics. Now, Hamas explained on October 7th the fate of the remaining hostages in Gaza, the state of ceasefire negotiations, and the future of Gaza after the war.
Here are some important points from what he said:
Hamas remains a non-apology for October 7th.
Nearly two years after Hamas militants rushed into Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, Hamad revealed he had no regrets about his actions that day, nor did he regret the fatal consequences they caused.
He repeated the false claims by Hamas, claiming that he had no intention of targeting only Israeli military facilities and tempting civilians. He argued that the attack was justified due to decades of Israel’s occupation and blockade. And rather than taking responsibility for the role of the attack in causing Israel’s devastating attack on Gaza, he has made it clear that he believes the Palestinian cause is being boosted by the Hamas attack.
“Do you know what the benefits of October 7th are now?” Hamad asked before quitting growth in international support for the Palestinian cause.
“I think this is a golden moment when the world changes history,” he said.
Interestingly, his argument is not far from the story point of a senior Israeli official who denounced the wave of perception of the Palestinian state as “reward for terrorism.” At the UN General Assembly on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded his actions as “shady, pure madness and insanity” by Israel’s traditional allies.
Both Hamad and Netanyahu want to draw a direct line from October 7th to the growth moment of support for the Palestinian cause.
In a social media post Friday morning, Israel’s Foreign Ministry characterized Hamad’s comments to CNN as “a memo of gratitude to Emmanuel Macron from Hamas Senior Leader Gazi Hamad.”
“Do you accept responsibility?”: CNN reports Hamas’s formula suffering in Gaza
In an interview, Hamad did not apologise for the massive price that Hamas paid in nearly two years since the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Response to everything about Hamad: “I know the price () is very high, but I’m asking again, what’s the option?”
He repeatedly pushed against him whether or not he would be responsible for the death and destruction that Hamas caused on October 7th. Hamad previously said that Palestinians were “pride in sacrificeing martians,” but then broke down and committed a sora.
Hamad was rebellious even when he was in charge of Hamas and was confronted by the voices of the Palestinians in Gaza calling on Hamas to abandon their weapons to end the war.
Instead, he revealed that he believed that he needed and justified the need for Israel’s overwhelming attack on Gaza and that the subsequent death of the Palestinians. And Hamas’ belief in the legitimacy of armed resistance as a route to its purpose appears as rock hardened as ever.
“Do you expect Palestinians to do just because they are silent and people all over the world are watching the suffering and not doing anything,” Hamad said.
Despite the latest claims from US President Donald Trump, he explained that a claim that a contract to end the war “nearly” was “frozen” and that the talks were “freezing.”
Two weeks after he and other Hamas officials were targeted for the Israeli strike, Hamad said there was no movement to bring negotiations back on track.
He blamed Israel on the deadlock and showed that attempts to assassinate him and the other Hamas negotiations were “uninterested in negotiations.”
For those staring at this interview, they are extremely disappointed in search of clues that Hamas is looking for an off-ramp where the red line once stood, or that he is ready to make a concession.
Hamad said Hamas was still interested in a comprehensive deal to end the war that frees all 48 remaining hostages, but he offered no indication of a change in its basic position, including opposing Israeli demand or much of the international community that extremist groups would be completely disarmed.
Even if Israel launched a massive invasion of Gaza City, Hamad showed little indication that Israeli military pressure was affecting the group’s core negotiation position.
With talks to end the circulating war between Arab countries and the new US proposal, it is clear that the US will remain a key player in negotiations over potential ceasefires and hostage release deals.
It was therefore particularly noteworthy to hear Hamad be more critical of his remarks about the US and Trump than reconciliation.
Hamad accused the US president of giving Israel a “green light” for his attempt to assassinate him (the US denied) and accused US negotiators of “lost credibility” by returning to previous proposals.
“They couldn’t prove that they were honest and neutral mediators,” Hamad said.
Still, he said he believes that the path to end the war will run through Trump.
He said Trump “should put his position on Israel to stop the war.”
“But I don’t think it’s easy to trust Trump or to trust the American administration all the time,” Hamad said. “They wore Israeli glasses. They are adopting the Israeli position.”
Two weeks after he and other Hamas leaders were targeted in Doha, Hamas leaders have left clear conclusions. There is no safe place for them.
The sense of security that once existed in Qatar’s capital – a long-standing heaven for Hamas officials with an implicit US-Israel agreement – is now shattered. So does trust between Israel and Qatar, an important channel for back-channel diplomacy.
“No, no one is safe,” Hamad said when asked if he felt safe in Doha. “(Israel) is in a crazy state. They can do anything you expect.”
That security concern was clear as CNN arrived for an interview with Hamad in Doha. His security details were carried out in a thorough sweep. No phone calls are allowed in the room. Pens were also collected for last minute inspections before the interview began.
Nadeen Ebrahim contributed additional reporting.
