Exclusive to Afaq News.. A Hamas Leader: The October 7 Attack "Created a Golden Moment for the World to Change History"

- The senior leader of Hamas, Ghazi Hamad, defended the attacks on Israel on October 7, stating to Afaq News that they created a "golden moment" for the Palestinian cause despite the tens of thousands of casualties in Gaza. In an interview conducted in the Qatari capital (Doha), two weeks after surviving an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas residential site, Ghazi Hamad highlighted the increasing international condemnation of the Israeli attack on Gaza and the growing number of countries that recognized the Palestinian state.

He showed no remorse for the consequences faced by Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who have borne the brunt of the ongoing Israeli attacks, saying: "Do you know what the benefit of the October 7 attack is now? ... If you look at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, when about 194 people (international officials) opened their eyes and looked at the atrocities of Israel, they all condemned Israel.

We have waited for this moment for 77 years, and I believe this is a golden moment for the world to change history." His comments came on the same day that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the October 7 attack in a speech before the United Nations, stating that "Hamas" would have no role in the Palestinian state, and one day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before the General Assembly.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in the October 7 attack and took more than 250 hostages, prompting a retaliatory response from Israel, which the Gaza Health Ministry says has resulted in the deaths of more than 65,000 people, most of whom are women and children. The events of October 7 are unprecedented in Israeli history, but with the widespread destruction, hunger, and rising death toll and injuries in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu's government faced varied global reactions, with some describing its response as "disproportionate, even amounting to genocide."

When Afaq News asked him whether "Hamas" bears part of the responsibility - and whether the attacks were worth the thousands of casualties in Gaza - the senior Hamas leader refused to accept any responsibility, saying: "I know the price is extremely high, but I ask again: what is the option?" In the face of anger in Gaza in recent months, some in Gaza have expressed their anger towards "Hamas," accusing the movement of "refusing to end the war, leaving people to suffer without food and water."

During the interview, Afaq News showed Hamad footage of people in Gaza urging "Hamas" to relinquish power. In one clip, a protester opposing "Hamas" said: "Our message to Hamas is: stop gambling and risking our lives.

You are disconnected from reality, especially since the Hamas leadership resides outside Gaza." Hamad refused to watch the footage for more than a few seconds, pushing the iPad displaying the images away, and said he knows that people are suffering, but he blamed their discontent on the Israeli attack, adding: "I know... I have seen..

Hamas responded violently to those who criticize its actions in Gaza. In April, a 22-year-old Palestinian was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after publicly criticizing the movement and participating in rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, according to his family.

In May, Palestinians protested against "Hamas" in northern Gaza, in what appeared to be the largest demonstration against the armed movement since its attacks on Israel on October 7. Hostages as human shields and Hamad's meeting with the Afaq News network came while the Israeli attack on the city of Gaza was ongoing.

Israel seeks complete control over the largest city in the Gaza Strip, stating that it remains a stronghold of "Hamas." Israel has repeatedly accused "Hamas" of using civilians as human shields, and a message from the "Qassam Brigades," the military wing of "Hamas," a week ago indicated that the remaining hostages in Gaza City are "distributed across the neighborhoods of Gaza City," effectively placing them in the same situation.

In a statement from "Al-Qassam Brigades": "We will not worry about their lives as long as (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu has decided to kill them." When asked if the hostages are being used to deter the Israeli invasion, Hamad denied that "Hamas" uses the remaining hostages as human shields, insisting that they are all treated "according to Islamic principles."

Some of the released hostages came out hungry and emaciated, while others claimed they were subjected to sexual assaults during their captivity, allegations that the United Nations has also highlighted. In response, Hamad said: "There is not a single piece of evidence proving that we use these things against people, and our principles are Islamic principles."

When asked if "Hamas" would respond to calls to allow the Red Cross access to the hostages, Hamad objected, describing the situation on the ground as "complex." Surviving a sudden attack on Qatar, Hamad sat in a well-lit hall, with armchairs lining the wall around a poster of Jerusalem, and a framed picture of the late political leader of "Hamas", Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in the Iranian capital, Tehran, last year, and said that the United States bears blame just like Israel for the September 9 attack on Qatar that targeted "Hamas" leaders.

Hamad was among the movement's leaders targeted in that attack, describing his survival as a "miracle." The Israeli raid came at a time when "Hamas" leaders were reviewing an American proposal for a ceasefire.

Hamad said that the raid abruptly halted the negotiations, and when asked about the current status of the negotiations, he replied to Afaq News: "Frozen." He added that part of the blame lies with the United States, pointing out that it "did not act in good faith, but was executing Israel's orders."

He said: "This is the problem of the Americans, they cannot prove that they are honest and neutral mediators." Israel is setting its conditions for ending the war: the return of hostages, both alive and dead, and the destruction of "Hamas" in exchange for a ceasefire that would initiate negotiations.

As pressure mounts on Israel to stop fighting, the position of the majority of the international community is equally clear on the need to disarm "Hamas" immediately. Hamad's comments highlighted how far this demand is from the movement's intentions, as he said: "The military wing of Hamas is a legitimate and legal weapon used all the time against the occupation."

He added: "If a Palestinian state is established, Hamas's weapons will be directed at the Palestinian army," and continued: "But Hamas cannot be excluded from Palestinian issues... and the Palestinian situation, because Hamas plays a positive role," and he affirmed: "We will never surrender, we will never surrender."