Doha, Qatar
–
A Hamas official defended the deadly attack on Israel on October 7, telling CNN that despite the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza, he created a “golden moment” for the Palestinian cause.
In a broad interview in Doha, two weeks after surviving Israel’s Air Strike with the compound of Hamas, Qatar’s capital, Ghazi Hamad highlighted the international condemnation of Israeli attacks in Gaza and the seasons of countries that recognized the Palestinian state. He was indifferent towards the consequences of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, bearing the brunt of Israel’s merciless attack on Gaza.
“What are the benefits of October 7 now? … Yesterday, yesterday, when around 194 people opened their eyes to the atrocities, and the atrocities of Israel and all of them, they condemned Israel. “I think this is the golden moment when the world changes history,” he said.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and took over 250 hostages in a savage attack. It sparked cruel retaliation from Israel, which Gaza’s health ministry said it had killed more than 65,000 people.
The events of October 7th were unprecedented in Israeli history, but Benjamin Netanyahu, the victim of widespread destruction, starvation and soaring deaths in Gaza, faces claims that the response is unbalanced.
We challenged CNN to see if Hamas shared any negligence. A Hamas official refused to even accept responsibility for whether the attacks of the thousands who died in Gaza were worth it, saying, “I know the price (is) is very high, what are the options?”
Over the past few months, several in Gaza have expressed their anger at Hamas, denounced groups for refusing to end the war, and tormenting people without food or water.
During the interview, CNN showed Hamad’s footage of Hamad people, urging Hamas to give up power. In one clip shown to Hamad, one anti-Hamas protester said: “The message to Hamas is being separated from reality, with the halt of gambling and adventures. Hamas’ leadership in particular lies outside of Gaza.
Hamad refused to watch this footage for more than a few seconds and pressed his iPad to view the image. He said he knew people were suffering, but he condemned their complaints about Israeli invasion.
“I know, I have, I saw,” he said. “I know people are suffering.”
Hamas responded cruelly to those who criticized his actions in Gaza.
In April, a 22-year-old Palestinian was tortured and murdered by Hamas militants after publicly criticizing the group and participating in a rare anti-Hamas protest in Gaza. In May, Palestinians were seen as the biggest protest against militant groups against Hamas in northern Gaza since the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Hamad spoke with CNN and Israeli attacks on Gaza City were on track. Israel is trying to capture the biggest city of Enclave in full, saying it will remain Hamas’s hub.
Hamas has been repeatedly accused of using civilians as human shields from Israel, and a message from the Alcasam Brigade of Hamas’ military division a week ago showed that the remaining hostages in Gaza city were being “distributed to Gaza city neighbourhoods,” putting them in virtually the same situation.
“We will not be worried about their lives as long as (Israel Prime Minister) Netanyahu decides to kill them,” reads the Alcasam Brigade.
Asked whether hostages have been used to stop Israeli invasion, Hamad denied that Hamas was using the remaining hostages as human shields, claiming that they were all treated “in Islamic principles.”
Some of the released hostages are starved and gross, while others allegedly claiming sexual abuse in captivity, some UN stressed.
In response, Hamad said, “There is no evidence to prove that these things are used against people.”
“Our facility (Islamic facility).”
When asked if Hamas would listen to the Red Cross to grant access to hostages, Hamad called the ground situation “complex.”
Along with a framed photo of the late Hamas political leader Ismail Hanie, who was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran last year, he sat in a brightly lit hall with armchairs lined up against the wall around a Jerusalem poster, saying Hamas is as responsible as Israel in a Qatar attack targeting Hamas’ leadership.
Hamad was one of the leaders of the group that was targeted in the attack. He described his survival as a “miracle.”
The Israeli strike came when Hamas officials were reviewing the US ceasefire proposal. The strike ensured that negotiations had suddenly stopped, Hamad said.
“Frozen,” Hamad told CNN.
Some of the blame, he said, was lying in the United States, suggesting that he was unable to act in good faith and instead had made an Israeli bid.
“This is an American problem. They can’t prove that they are honest and neutral mediators,” he said.
The conditions for ending the Israeli war are clear. They return the hostages, destroy Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire that is alive and dead, and begins negotiations.
It is equally clear that Hamas must disarm immediately, while increasing pressure on most of the international community to stop fighting against Israel. Hamad’s comments highlighted how far the demand is from the group’s intentions.
“The Hamas (armed wings) are legitimate and legal weapons that are constantly used for the profession,” he said.
If a Palestinian state is established, he said Hamas’ weapons would be directed towards the Palestinian forces.
“But Hamas could not remove Hamas from the Palestinians. Hamas is in a positive role, so it’s the question and the Palestinian situation,” he said.
“We will never surrender. We will never surrender.”
CNN’s Zeena Saifi and Ibrahim Dahman contributed the report.
