In a recent interview, top Hamas official Ghazi Hamad declared that the terrorist group was prepared to undertake as many more attacks like the one they carried out on October 7 (which they termed the “Al-Aqsa Flood”) until everyone in Israel was dead.
After Hamas militants killed 1,400 Israelis, injured 5,300+, and abducted over 240, Hamad made the comments in an interview broadcast at the end of last month on LBC TV, a Lebanese news station.
“Israel is a country that has no place on our land,” he declared. “We must remove that country, because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force.”
“We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again,” he said. “The Al-Aqsa Flood is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth, because we have the determination, the resolve, and the capabilities to fight. Will we have to pay a price? Yes, and we are ready to pay it. We are called a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.”
Later in the interview, he said that “the occupation must come to an end,” adding that he was not just talking about Gaza, but all of what he claimed were “the Palestinian lands.”
“Does that mean the annihilation of Israel?” the news anchor asked.
He responded, “Yes, of course.”
“The existence of Israel is illogical,” he concluded. “The existence of Israel is what causes all that pain, blood, and tears. It is Israel, not us. We are the victims of the occupation. Period. Therefore, nobody should blame us for the things we do. On October 7, October 10, October 1,000,000 – everything we do is justified.”
Hamas Official Ghazi Hamad: We Will Repeat the October 7 Attack Time and Again Until Israel Is Annihilated; We Are Victims – Everything We Do Is Justified #Hamas #Gaza #Palestinians pic.twitter.com/kXu3U0BtAP
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) November 1, 2023
Because of this, there can be no truce, since both sides have too much to lose. Terrorist assaults and the conflict will continue until Israel annexes the Gaza Strip and removes its population.
It’s not ideal, but it’s all there is in the long run. Taking away most of Hamas and giving the land over to the Palestinian Authority would only result in further assaults and battles.