Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef and who was once associated with the Palestinian terror group, has slammed Hamas for its October 7 attack on Israel. He said the people of Gaza should rebel against Hamas for establishing peace and security in the region.
In an exclusive interview with indiatoday.in, Mosab Hassan Yousef said Hamas terrorists’ involvement in the multi-prong attacks on Israel meant they were “dead men walking”. He said Israeli forces and himself were after Hamas and eliminating the group.
Mosab Hassan Yousef, who worked as an undercover agent for Israel until 2007 when he shifted to the US, said he was tortured and beaten by Hamas and declared a traitor when he said that violence should end.
“Hamas was our project, our family business. In fact, I was profiting from Hamas. Hamas gave me prestige and gave me power. And it was in my interest. So, when I decided to depart Hamas many years ago, it was not an easy thing to do,” he said.
“I had to go against the family. I had to lose my security. I had to lose my status in society. I warned my father and Hamas that violence must end. But instead of listening, they shunned me and they made me into a traitor. I was tortured and beaten by Hamas. It is their way of indoctrinating the young Palestinians,” he added.
Mosab Hassan Yousef said Hamas was committing war crimes in Gaza and blamed the group for the civilian casualties in the Palestinian enclave. He also stated that Hamas terrorists used civilians and they committed the “genocide of the century”.
“Hamas started this war. They are responsible for it. And the people of Gaza need to rebel against Hamas. This is their duty. Hamas committed the genocide of the century,” he said.
He asserted that Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank or those settled abroad, had agreed that Hamas was doing a holy war.
“It is sad to see death and destruction, but we need to ask ourselves what began this and who will take responsibility for the use of human shields,” he said.
On the establishment of Hamas as a group on the occasion of its 36th anniversary (December 14, 1987), Mosab Hassan Yousef hoped that this year would be the end of the terror group’s violence and destruction. He also rebuffed claims that Israel created Hamas to compete against the Palestinian Authority.
“Some people came up with the theory that Israel created Hamas in order to compete against the Palestinian Authority. Now, it (Hamas) is paying the price. This is just a conspiracy theory. It has nothing to do with reality,” he said.
He also questioned Hamas’s conditions of a humanitarian ceasefire, which, he said, was an attempt by the group to regroup itself after setbacks in Gaza.
“I was against the ceasefire. And I’m still against it. You cannot call a humanitarian ceasefire that does not include the hostages. The Israeli hostages in Gaza are also humans. They are the victims of this entire attack,” he said.
“And how can we call this a humanitarian ceasefire if it does not have a condition of the immediate release of all hostages? So, if the humanitarian ceasefire proposed by the UN Security Council included the hostages’ release, then it would actually be a good one. But, this ceasefire is meant to give Hamas a lifeline. We know there are civilian casualties. But who is responsible for that?” he added.
Mosab Hassan Yousef further said, “Hamas wants negotiation. It is desperate for a ceasefire because they want to be recognised as a counterpart, as the legitimate body, while they are nothing but a savage terrorist group which committed a genocide. How can a democratic country sit down across the table negotiating with savages like this who want to release mass murderers from Israeli prisons?”
Stressing for the elimination of Hamas, Mosab Hassan Yousef stated that the people of Gaza would soon be able to have self-determination and have a leader “who would heal their wounds”.
“As someone who was part of the Israeli counter-terrorism unit, I am telling you, I know them, it’s impossible that Israel is going to give the Palestinians power, territory just overnight,” he said.
“If Hamas keeps insisting on annihilating the state of Israel, it will suffer. Hamas will make everyone else suffer,” he added.
“Everybody who was involved in the October 7 genocide, there is no escape for them. Consider all of them dead men walking. It doesn’t matter how far they go, even if they are on Mars. We are going after them, including myself. They are not going to get away unpunished,” he further said
