War in Israel: October 7 attack was a reaction to Netanyahu’s policies, says Hamas leader

Hamas leader breaks silence. The terrorist attack carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7 was a reaction to the policies of the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Islamist movement, Ismail Haniyeh from Qatar, explained this Wednesday in a speech broadcast by Hamas media.

The armed wing of the Palestinian group launched a surprise attack on October 7 in the middle of Shabbat. From the Gaza Strip, terrorists swept into Israeli villages near the Palestinian enclave, killing nearly 1,400 people, most of whom Tel Aviv said were civilians, and taking several hundred hostages.

Ismail Haniyeh said the attack was a reaction to the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu’s “racist policies” towards the Palestinians.

“We warned all parties with whom we communicated before this war about the continuation of the policy of oppression and violence of Netanyahu and his fascist government, aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) and Islamic and Christian shrines, building settlements and unleashing extremist settlers to wreak destruction, chaos and death will not go unpunished,” he explained.

“We warned them that this will not go unpunished, an explosion is inevitable and it is imperative to stop the actions of this criminal and his gang. Unfortunately, no one listened to our calls, on the contrary,” he added.

“No stability” without “return”

Since then, the Israeli army has shelled the Palestinian enclave daily and last Friday sent soldiers to attack the northern Palestinian territory. The IDF bombings killed more than 8,700 Gazans, according to the Hamas Health Ministry, although this figure cannot be independently verified.

As Lebanese Hezbollah threatens to attack Israel from the north and Jordan announced this Wednesday the “immediate” recall of its ambassador to the Jewish state, the Hamas leader also spoke of regional stability.

“There will be no security or stability in the region and beyond unless our people’s rights to freedom, independence and return are realized,” he said.

Ismail Haniyeh also accused Israel of committing “massacres” in the Gaza Strip to cover up its “failures.” “We tell the enemy (…) that your efforts to hide your failures will not save you from a resounding defeat,” he warned.