Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, has defended the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, telling CNN that they created a “golden moment” for the Palestinian cause despite the tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza.
In an interview with the American network in Doha, two weeks after apparently surviving an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas compound in the Qatari capital, Hamad highlighted the growing international condemnation of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and the spate of countries that have recognized Palestinian statehood.
According to CNN, he was “unapologetic” about the consequences for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
“You know what is the benefit of Oct. 7 now?” he asked. “If you look to the [United Nations] General Assembly yesterday, when about 194 people opened their eyes and looked to the atrocity, to [the] brutality of Israel and all of them, they condemned Israel. We waited for this moment for 77 years.
“I think this is a golden moment for the world to change history,” he added.
CNN noted that his comments came on the same day as Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Oct. 7 attack in a speech to the United Nations, saying that Hamas would have no role to play in a Palestinian state, and a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the assembly.
