During an interview on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya Network, Khaled Mashal, a Hamas leader living abroad, made statements regarding the recent terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas. He denied responsibility for killing innocent Israeli civilians and instead called on Israel to apologize. Mashal’s remarks were met with skepticism given the well-documented nature of the attacks, which included acts such as raping young girls, burning people alive, taking hostages, and beheading infants.
Mashal justified these gruesome actions as “legitimate resistance” that the Palestinian people had collectively endorsed. He dismissed the extensive evidence, including photos, videos, and eyewitness testimonies, by claiming that Israel had fabricated these allegations.
When questioned about the civilian casualties resulting from the attacks, Mashal argued that such casualties were inevitable in warfare, emphasizing that they were not Hamas’s responsibility. He deflected calls for Hamas to apologize for the attacks by insisting that Israel should issue an apology instead.
In a surprising turn, Mashal also urged Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group based in Lebanon, to initiate attacks against Israel. Towards the end of the interview, he asserted that Hamas would release the hostages in exchange for Israel releasing approximately 10,000 Palestinian prisoners who are currently incarcerated.