An Egyptian journalist accuses a member of Hamas of attacks on the Israeli population.
A critical interview by Arabic broadcaster Al-Arabiya with a Hamas leader following the massacre in Israel has attracted attention on the Internet. A presenter on the station doubts the arguments of Khaled Mashal, a member of Hamas, who claims that the major attack on Israel is part of the “legitimate resistance” of the Palestinians.
“How can you demand that the West and the world at large support the Palestinian cause while the things that Hamas did to Israeli civilians are in the headlines?” asks Egyptian Rasha Nabil in the interview broadcast on Thursday and continued: “This Is it part of Hamas’ ideology to treat civilians like this?”
“Are you going to apologize?”
Mashal emphasized that the Islamic organization that rules in the Gaza Strip is focusing its resistance on soldiers. “But in every war there are some civilian casualties. We are not responsible for them.” The moderator responds: “Could you apologize for what was done to Israeli civilians on October 7th?” According to the Israeli army, of the 1,400 killed in Israel, a good 300 are soldiers – the majority are civilians. “An apology should be demanded from Israel,” Mashal responded to the question. “Hamas does not intentionally kill civilians, the focus is on soldiers.”
From the moderator’s point of view, Hamas’ type of attack resembles a declaration of war. “Some people wonder, therefore, what would be expected from the Israeli reaction?” People in the Gaza Strip, among others, who are now experiencing a “great human tragedy”, were not consulted about the attacks, accuses Mashal. Like many Hamas leaders, he lives abroad.
Founded in 2003, Al-Arabiya news channel is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is considered a competitor to Qatar’s Al Jazeera. Al-Arabiya’s parent company is owned by Saudi investors.