For the first time, Hamas has provided an explanation for the attack on Israel on October 7. The American newspaper The New York Times spoke to leaders of Hamas in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
According to Khalil al-Hayya, one of Hamas’s top leaders, the aim was to “put the Palestinian issue back on the map.” Leaders in Doha hope that a lasting conflict will rage that will put an end to any desire for coexistence between Israel, Gaza and the surrounding countries.
“I hope that the state of war with Israel becomes permanent and that the Arab world is on our side,” Hamas media adviser Taher El-Nounou told The New York Times.
According to Hamas leaders, the attack turned out to be broader and more deadly, as the resistance group easily managed to break through Israeli defenses. This also created consensus about what Hamas aims to be: not just a group that governs the Gaza Strip, but also a fighting force.
Frustration had grown in the months before the attack as Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in the West Bank, Jews prayed at Muslim holy sites and Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia was also a thorn in the side of Hamas leaders.
The leaders had taken into account a large-scale response from Israel. “We had to tell people that the Palestinian cause has not died,” Khalil al-Hayya said. (AP)
