The Palestinian extremist group released this Sunday (January 21) the first public statement on the October 7 actions that sparked the war in Gaza
The extremist group Hamas said on Sunday (January 21, 2024) that the surprise attack against Israel on October 7 was a “necessary step and a normal response to all Israeli conspiracies against the Palestinian people.” The group also acknowledged that the operation had flaws that led to the deaths of more than 1,000 people.
In a 16page document in English titled “Our Narrative,” Hamas says it wants to clarify the context and dynamics of the attack, which was titled “Operation AlAqsa Flood.” It is the group's first statement since the episode. Read the full text (PDF 1 MB).
In the text, Hamas claims that it only targeted Israeli soldiers and armed people in the October attack. But that day at least 700 Israelis died and another 240 were taken hostage.
At that time, Hamas had fired at least 5,000 rockets into Israeli territory and invaded its borders by land and sea. In the south of the country there were attacks on military posts, kibbutz (agricultural communities) and an electronic music festival. The Israeli government responded and launched a war against the extremist group in the Gaza Strip, triggering the largest armed conflict in the region's history.
The group said there were some failures during the operation because of the rapid collapse of Israel's military and security system and because of chaos in the areas bordering Gaza.
“If civilians were targeted at all, it was accidental and during the confrontation with the occupying power,” the text says. The group attributes Israeli deaths to actions by the Jewish army. “Many Israelis died at the hands of the Israeli army and police because of their confusion,” the document said. However, this claim has not yet been proven.
Hamas claims it planned attacks on military sites only to capture soldiers and exchange them for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The group says even harming civilians violates religious morality.
The two groups claim the area, which has important historical and religious landmarks for both ethnicities. In this Sunday's statement, Hamas says that the struggle of the Palestinian people against the occupation and colonization of their territories began 105 years ago, including 30 years of British occupation in the region and 75 years of Zionist occupation.
The group rejects possible solutions proposed by Israel or other countries. “We emphasize that the Palestinian people have the opportunity to decide their future and manage their internal affairs,” the report said, adding that “no party in the world” has the right to decide on their behalf .
In the document, the group calls for an immediate ceasefire and the suspension of what it calls “ethnic cleansing” due to the deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli response. According to Palestinian authorities in the region, more than 25,000 people have died in Gaza since October, most of them women and children.