The Daily Populous Saturday September 27th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by Firecracker048

A senior Hamas official has defended carrying out the deadly October 7 attacks on Israel, telling CNN that it created a “golden moment” for the Palestinian cause despite the tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza.

In a wide-ranging interview in Doha, two weeks after surviving an Israeli air-strike on a Hamas compound in the Qatari capital, Ghazi Hamad highlighted growing international condemnation of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and the spate of countries who have recognized Palestinian statehood. He was unapologetic about the consequences for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who have borne the brunt of Israel’s unrelenting attacks on Gaza.

“You know what is the benefit of October 7th now? …If you look to the (United Nations) General Assembly yesterday, when about 194 people opened their eyes and looked to the atrocity, to brutality of Israel and all of them, they condemned Israel. We waited for this moment for 77 years,” he said.

“I think this is a golden moment for the world to change the history,” he added.

His comments came on the same day as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the October 7 attack in a speech to the UN – saying that Hamas would have no role to play in a Palestinian state – and one day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the assembly.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and took more than 250 hostages in a savage attack. It triggered a brutal retaliation from Israel which Gaza’s health ministry says has killed more than 65,000 people, most of them women and children.

The events of October 7 were unprecedented in Israeli history, but with the widespread destruction, starvation and such a soaring toll of dead and injured in Gaza, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has faced claims that its response has been disproportionate – even amounting to genocide.

Challenged by CNN on whether Hamas shares some culpability – on whether the attacks were worth the thousands who have died in Gaza, the senior Hamas official refused to accept even some responsibility and said: “I know the price (is) so high, but I’m asking again, what is the option?”

In recent months, some in Gaza have voiced their anger at Hamas, accusing the group of refusing to end the war, leaving people to suffer without food and water.

During the interview, CNN showed Hamad footage of people in Gaza urging Hamas to give up power. In one clip shown to Hamad, one anti-Hamas protester says: “Our message to Hamas is, stop gambling and adventuring with us. You are disconnected from reality. Especially since the Hamas leadership is located outside of Gaza. Some people say they killed with our children’s flesh, while they sat in hotels.”

Hamad refused to look at the footage for more than a few seconds, pushing the iPad displaying the images away. He said that he knew people were suffering, but blamed their disgruntlement on Israeli aggression.

“I know, I have, I have seen,” he said. “I know people are suffering.”

Hamas has responded brutally to those who criticize its actions in Gaza.

In April, A 22-year-old Palestinian man was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after he criticized the group publicly 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 militant group since its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Hamad spoke to CNN while Israel’s assault on Gaza City was well underway. Israel is seeking to fully capture the enclave’s largest city, saying it remains a Hamas’ stronghold.

Hamas has repeatedly been accused by Israel of using civilians as human shields, and a message from Hamas’ military wing Al-Qassam Brigades a week ago indicated that the remaining hostages in Gaza City have been “distributed within the neighborhoods of Gaza City,” effectively putting them in the same situation.

“We will not be concerned for their lives as long as (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu has decided to kill them,” the Al-Qassam Brigades statement read.

Asked whether hostages are being used to deter Israel’s invasion, Hamad denied that Hamas is using the remaining hostages as human shields and insisted that they are all treated “with Islamic principles.”

Some of the freed hostages have emerged famished and gaunt, while others have claimed sexual abuse in captivity, allegations which the United Nations has also highlighted.

In response, Hamad said that “there is no one proof to prove that we use these things against people.”

“Our premises (are those of) Islam.”

Asked whether Hamas would heed calls to grant the Red Cross access to the hostages, Hamad demurred, calling the situation on the ground “complicated.”

Sat in a brightly lit hall with armchairs lining the wall around a poster of Jerusalem, with a framed photograph of the late Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in the Iranian capital Tehran last year, Hamad said the US is just as much to blame as Israel over the September 9 attack on Qatar which targeted the Hamas leadership.

Hamad was among the group’s leaders targeted in that attack. He described his survival as “a miracle.”

The Israeli strike came at a time when Hamas officials were reviewing a United States ceasefire proposal. The strike ensured negotiations came to a sudden halt, Hamad said.

“Frozen,” Hamad told CNN, when asked for the talks’ current status.

Part of the blame lay with the United States, he said, suggesting it was failing to act in good faith and was instead doing Israel’s bidding.

“This is the problem with the Americans, they cannot prove they are honest and neutral mediators,” he said.

Israel’s conditions to end the war are clear: return the hostages, living and dead, and destroy Hamas in exchange for a ceasefire that would start negotiations.

Most of the international community, while upping the pressure on Israel to stop fighting, are also equally clear that Hamas must disarm immediately. Hamad’s comments underlined how far that demand is from the group’s intentions.

“The (armed wing) of Hamas is a legitimate and legal weapon which is used all the time against an occupation,” he said.

If a Palestinian state was established, he said, Hamas’ weapons would be directed to the Palestinian army.

“But you could not exclude Hamas from the Palestinian … questions and Palestinian situation, because Hamas is playing a positive role,” he said.

“We will never surrender. We will never surrender.”

CNN’s Zeena Saifi and Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.

Psychological-Flow55 on September 27th, 2025 at 00:30 UTC »

"Golden moment?" Sure there backlash against Israel, and Israel becoming more isolated, sure there a greater international push for a independent Palestinan state alongside Israel, however Hamas should consider the following as grave errors of the oct.7th massacre (plus how sick, brutal and horrible it was) :

a new nakba is taking place as bibi, smoritch , Ben Gvir , and the hard right in Israel are collbrating the with Trump adminstration to expel most of the Palestinan Gaza population into Egypt and Jordan, and the same few is preparing for the E-1 settlement plan as a plan towards annexation of over 80% of the west bank, and the current Israeli govt and the fanatics like the hill top settlers are in zero mood for a Palestinan state at all, this is a third nakba after the ones in 1948-1949, and 1967, and Hamas deserves the majority of the blame for gambling that they would over run Israel on oct.7th or that Israel wouldnt respond they way they did, and Hamas foolishly thought Iran and Hezbollah would open up second and third fronts (since assad regime refused to open up a front as they still felt a certain way against Hamas as being apart of the Muslim brotherhood that helped the Sunni jihadists in the syrian civil war and betrayed Assad who hosted their poltical offices)

their allies in the So called Axis of resistance front have been severely harmed by Israel waging war against Hezbollah and it allies in Lebanon that seen their milltary might and infasture, and it changed the poltical landscape in Lebanonthat has weakened Hezbollah and it allies, and the Lebanese is now taking the steps to completely disarm the Palestinan refugee camps, Israel in its 12 day war with Israel utterly destroyed much of the nuclear program, had full control of Iranian airspace and saw the Mullahs in hiding while top officals of the milltary and irgc/quds forces were killed, and their defense systems weakened or destroyed.

the arab states like UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have condemned Hamas terrorist attack/massacre of oct.7th , and even the PA have distanced themselves from this as well as the grabd mufti in saudi Arabia as well as clerics associated with the world musim leauge condemning what Hamas did on oct.7th as basically against their Islamist faith, even some salafis wernt totally on board with it, in the past it was rare to see any arab or muslim heads of state or their media or government officals or newspapers condemn attacks on Israel, yet this has happened.

while relations between Israel and the Arab and Muslim states that have relations have been downgraded, ambassadors have been recalled, relations downgraded, I cant think of one nation (even Erodgan Turkey) that have 100% severed relations with Israel, and still keep some semblance of contact (even if it a cold peace for mist with Israel now)

whilethe Saudi- French led vote that included the entire Arab Leauge and Turkey called for a independent alongside Israel reviving the two state solution, it also for the first time condemed Hamas and the oct.7th attacks ,,and for Hamas to leave the Gaza Strip and for a Palestinan state to exclude Hamas from a transitional palestinan government.

their leadership,,command and control and even rule over Gaza has been wrecked, only the diehard supporters and operatives exsit, they lost ground in gaza to the Israeis , but also to clans that oppose them, and Hamas members abroad in places like Lebanon, Iran, and Qatar (possibly even Turey in the future) has to watch their backs and may test host states support of such figures.

From all povs , Hamas couldnt be in any worse state, even Qatar and Turkey seem quietly to be planning for a post-Game scenario on the Palestinan portfolio, Egypt doesnt want a Muslim Brotherhood affilated group or any Gazan salafi-jojadi based groups in its territory in any event of a expulsion or to taken in millions more people after Egypt has already taken in millions of Syrians, Libyans, and Sudanese, Egypt would prefear both Israel and Hamas in a weak end position that helps their intreats in the region.

Hamas is crazy if it thinks that horrible massacre and blunder of October 7th is paying dividends for it terrorist organization , or the Palestinan people or towards Palestinan statehood, hiding in those tunnels or spending too much time at a Doha or Istanbul 5 star hotels has gotten the group out of touch to the situation on the ground, Hamas has no cards left to play.

MeatPiston on September 26th, 2025 at 23:42 UTC »

Easy words for someone living in comfort nowhere near the danger.

Firecracker048 on September 26th, 2025 at 23:25 UTC »

Also just saw this:

> Hamas has repeatedly been accused by Israel of using civilians as human shields, and a message from Hamas’ military wing Al-Qassam Brigades a week ago indicated that the remaining hostages in Gaza City have been “distributed within the neighborhoods of Gaza City,” effectively putting them in the same situation.

Well there goes any explaination any pro Palestinians had that Hamas isn't using these hostages as sheilds