Exclusively for Ofoq News: A Hamas leader: The October 7 attack “created a golden moment for the world to change history.”

- Senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad defended the October 7 attacks on Israel, telling the Ofoq News network that they created a “golden moment” for the Palestinian cause despite the tens of thousands killed in Gaza. In an interview conducted in the Qatari capital (Doha), two weeks after he survived an Israeli air strike on a Hamas residential headquarters, Ghazi Hamad highlighted the growing international condemnation of the Israeli attack on Gaza and the increase in countries that have recognized the Palestinian state.

He showed no remorse for the consequences for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who have borne the brunt of Israel's continuing attacks on Gaza. Ghazi Hamad said: “Do you know what the benefit of the October 7 attack is now? ... If you look at the UN General Assembly, yesterday, when about 194 people (international officials) opened their eyes and looked at Israel's atrocities, 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 to the United Nations, saying Hamas would have no role in a Palestinian state, and a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack, taking more than 250 hostage, and sparked a retaliation from Israel that the Gaza Health Ministry says killed more than 65,000 people, most of them women and children. The events of October 7 are unprecedented in the history of Israel, but with the widespread destruction, hunger, and high number of dead and wounded in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu's government faced various global reactions, with some describing its response as "disproportionate and even amounting to genocide."

When asked by Ufaq News whether Hamas bears part of the responsibility - and whether the attacks were worth thousands of deaths in Gaza - the senior Hamas leader refused to bear any responsibility, and said: “I know that the price is very high, but I wonder again: What is the choice?” Facing Gaza's anger in recent months, some in Gaza have expressed their anger at Hamas, accusing the movement of "refusing to end the war and leaving people suffering without food and water."

During the interview, Ofek News showed Hamad footage of people in Gaza urging Hamas to relinquish power. In one clip, an anti-Hamas demonstrator said: “Our message to Hamas is: Stop gambling and adventuring with us.

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 away the iPad displaying the images. He said he knew people were suffering, but blamed their dissatisfaction on the Israeli attack. He added: “I know... I saw...

Hamas responded brutally to those who criticized its actions in Gaza. In April, a 22-year-old Palestinian man was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after he publicly criticized the movement and participated in rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, according to his family.

In May, Palestinians demonstrated against Hamas in northern Gaza, in what appeared to be the largest protest against the armed movement since its attacks on Israel on October 7. Hostages as human shields Hamad's interview with the Ofoq News network came while the Israeli attack on Gaza City was underway.

Israel seeks to take full control of the largest city in the Strip, saying it remains a Hamas stronghold. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, and a letter from the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, a week ago indicated that the remaining hostages in Gaza City were "distributed among the neighborhoods of Gaza City," effectively putting them in the same position.

The Al-Qassam Brigades statement said: “We will not worry about their lives as long as (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu decides to kill them.” When asked whether the hostages were being used to deter an Israeli invasion, Hamad denied that Hamas was using the remaining hostages as human shields, and insisted that they were all being treated “according to Islamic principles.”

Some of the freed hostages emerged hungry and emaciated, while others claimed to have been sexually assaulted during their captivity, allegations that were also highlighted by the United Nations. In response, Hamad said: “There is not a single piece of evidence to prove that we use these things against people, and our principles are the principles of Islam.”

When asked whether Hamas would respond to calls to allow the Red Cross access to the hostages, Hamad demurred, describing the situation on the ground as “complicated.” Surviving a surprise attack on Qatar Hamad sat in a well-lit hall, the wall of which was lined with armchairs around a poster of Jerusalem and a framed photo of the late Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in the Iranian capital, Tehran, last year. He said the United States was as much to blame as Israel for the September 9 attack on Qatar that targeted Hamas leadership.

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

Hamad said that the raid led to the negotiations suddenly stopping, and when he was asked about the current status of the negotiations, he replied to Ofoq News: “Frozen.” He added that part of the blame lies with the United States, noting that it "did not act in good faith, but rather was implementing Israel's orders."

“This is the problem with the Americans,” he said. “They cannot prove that they are honest and impartial mediators.” Israel sets its conditions for ending the war: the return of the hostages, alive and dead, and the destruction of Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire that would begin negotiations.

As pressure increases on Israel to stop the fighting, the position of the majority of the international community is equally clear that Hamas must be disarmed immediately. Hamad’s comments highlighted how far this demand was from the movement’s intentions, as he said: “Hamas’ military wing is a legitimate and legal weapon that is used all the time against the occupation.”

He added: “If a Palestinian state is established, Hamas’ weapons will be directed to the Palestinian army.” He continued: “But Hamas cannot be excluded from Palestinian issues... and the Palestinian situation, because Hamas plays a positive role,” and stressed: “We will never surrender. We will never surrender.”