Muslim nations should not send their armies to fight alongside the Palestinians against Israel, but rather keep their words to end the ongoing war that has killed and injured thousands of people, a Hamas spokesman said. geo.tv in an exclusive interview.
Israel has killed more than 22,000 Gazans in three months, mostly women and children, and is hell-bent on “eliminating” Hamas, while its offensive is expected to continue throughout the current year.
The deadliest attack in history by Israel was launched in response to the Hamas operation of October 7 – “Toofan Al-Aqsa” – in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages were taken, some of whom have been released.
Apparently angered by the Israeli attack, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and an Arab-Islamic summit criticized the attacks and said that “war crimes and barbaric and inhumane massacres committed by the occupation government” should end.
However, Hamas spokesman Khalid Qadoumi said geo.tv that mere statements were not enough since the humanitarian crisis, which existed before October 7, was increasing and worsening with each passing day.
“Do what you [OIC] saying; You said you wanted to stop the war. There are 57 countries. “They have enormous capacity to put pressure on the Israeli government and the international community to stop the war,” he said in an interview in Karachi.
“They have enormous and tremendous diplomatic maneuvers by which they can open the Rafah gate for the flow of humanitarian aid,” he said, lamenting that only 100 aid trucks were arriving in Gaza, and that too, with Netanyahu’s order.
The Hamas spokesman said that Gazans were not demanding that Muslim nations send their armies and wage war against Israel, but only that they do what they had claimed to do.
“…we are not able to understand if we really do not have that status to put pressure on the Israeli side or the international community to make water available to the common man in Gaza. That’s a great question,” Qadoumi wondered.
Why October 7?
The date chosen for the Hamas attack, a major attack that baffled Israeli intelligence, sparked speculation about its deeper meaning.
Although Qadoumi did not provide clarity on the timing, he did say that it was a “technical measure” and that Hamas fighters on the ground “could inform him about it.” He also noted that the reason for the attack was to “surprise people.”
Calling October 7 a response to the brutality that Israel has been subjecting Palestinians to for the better part of seven decades, he said: “It was not a surprise, because we, for the last 75 years, have been suffering under these wars. crimes.”
“October 7 is a response from our people [to Israel],” he said.
When asked if Hamas had calculated Israel’s response, he noted: “They have been doing [this brutality] for the last 75 years.”
“Let’s leave aside October 7. Even before, in the West Bank, do they have Hamas there? Do they have weapons? Is ‘Toofan Al-Aqsa’ there? So why are there 300 martyrs in the West Bank? Why is Israel martyring our youth? Why are there 4,600? [martyrs over there]?”
Qadoumi noted that Israel did not need the “Toofan Al-Aqsa” or the October 7 attacks as a reason to bomb Gaza. “Before October 7, according to one Israeli, between 150 and 300 Palestinians were being martyred due to Israel’s torture and siege.”
Possible normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel
Before October, senior officials in Riyadh and Tel Aviv – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – had said they were closer to establishing ties, in line with other nations. of the Gulf.
“Every day we get closer” to a normalization deal, MBS told US broadcaster Fox News in September, and within days, Netanyahu said cnn that Tel Aviv would “probably” reach an agreement with Riyadh.
However, US efforts to broker an agreement between the two sides failed when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.
In the interview, Qadoumi explained that the group’s October 7 attack was well planned and, obviously, with such a calculated move, they had “targets” in mind.
“The world was surprised, we were surprised, by the way they attacked. But why not? If you think that this normalization [deal] between Saudi Arabia and Israel is over, then everything will be fine,” Qadoumi said. Geo.tv.
“They were trying to sell out to the Palestinians. It was a dangerous plan. Since October 7, all political strategies have been silenced. Can [say] that could be a target, or perhaps was one of their targets,” the spokesperson said.
Boycotts and protests
Since Israel launched its relentless attack on Gaza, people around the world (including the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Spain) have held protests seeking an end to the war.
The spokesperson endorsed protests and boycotts, in which people do not use products or eat products from fast food chains that are related to Israel or support the Tel Aviv attacks.
“Public opinion matters a lot. Sometimes people say that public opinion doesn’t matter. Because? Today there is a boycott due to public opinion, not because of a fatwa. [Islamic decree]. You gained consciousness. It’s not just emotion,” she noted.
“Now you’re thinking I’m sitting on [a Western fast-food chain] and thinking that that money will be used as a bullet against a Palestinian child, then you boycott. You are not against any culture; You’re talking practically. If these brands are helping Israel, it means that you are also helping them in this genocide.”
Additionally, Qadoumi said, demonstrations are taking place across the United States, prompting a humanitarian pause as President Joe Biden was losing popularity ahead of the presidential election due to his support for war crimes and military and financial aid to Israel.
“It is important that they remain on the streets to raise people’s morale. I’m not talking about Hamas; I mean ordinary Palestinians. Those poor people; 60% of your home [area] It has been destroyed.”
“When the Pakistani people send temporary houses to the Khan Younis camp, they will feel that they are not alone. His Muslim brothers support them. It will boost their morale,” he said, also calling for raising awareness about the Palestinian cause and how international courts could act to hold Israel accountable.
“Israel has ceased to exist”
Qadoumi, when asked about the expected time frame for the end of the war, said: “This is a very complex issue. Because? Because Israel’s hegemony ended on October 7. Their hegemony is no longer what it used to be before October 7.”
The Hamas spokesman said that Israelis were abandoning their land and moving abroad, to countries like Germany, Poland, the United States, etc. He noted that Israel could not sustain the war for long since, for the first time in history, it was borrowing money to sustain the war.
“For the first time, IT, technology and medical companies are moving out of Tel Aviv because there is no guarantee there. His people are withdrawing because the promise of ‘Milk and Honey’ has not been fulfilled. “It is a land of oppression, aggression and lack of security,” he stated.
He said that despite anti-war protests and companies fleeing Israel, “corrupt” leaders remained steadfast in continuing their attacks on Gaza.
“Today, hundreds of thousands of people in Israel are in the streets against Netanyahu and Gantz. They are protesting daily in front of the Israeli Ministry of Defense to stop this war. The change has come,” he stated.
“They are not stopping him because what will he say to the courts? What will you tell the investigative committees about your objectives? Is the siege of Al-Shifa hospital a military achievement? What military achievement can Israel offer her nation? Nothing,” she added.
“They were also unable to destroy Hamas or our will. Our people remain firm and are with us in Gaza. Alhamdulillah, Israel has ceased to exist. But now it is up to the Muslim ummah to achieve justice for the Palestinians,” Qadoumi concluded.
— Khawaja Burhan Uddin is a staff member at Geo.tv
