October 7 should be investigated internationally, said Hamas leader Basem Naim on Italian TV. He also said that they were prepared to release the hostages in exchange for a ceasefire.
Hamas leader Basem Naim gave an interview to the Italian TV station Rai3 on Wednesday. In it, he explained that Hamas did not know what had happened on October 7 either and that they wanted “an international commission” to “clarify the situation” with an investigation.
Investigation demanded
All of this sounds very different from Hamas than was initially reported in the West. And Hamas celebrated the great “military success“. Accordingly, what they are saying now sounds “strange” (journalist Thomas Fazi) – and many questions remain unanswered. Fundamentally, the question of how the ill-equipped fighters were able to overcome Israel’s surveillance machine remains unanswered.
The Hamas man told Rai3:
“I don’t agree with the way what happened on October 7. We don’t know exactly what happened either. We want an international commission to provide clarity. Israel immediately attacked the Palestinian people“.
They are prepared to release the hostages “if a ceasefire is declared.” Hamas repeated something similar today, Friday.
Of course, he has a completely different view of the conflict than Israel: “I reject the idea that we started the war. We have the right to defend ourselves against the Israeli occupation, which has been going on for 75 years.”
This is followed by harsh criticism of the West: “Israel is not acting alone today, but on behalf of the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and unfortunately also Italy, which has sent some troops to the Mediterranean. How can we deal with all this? We can only say that the international community today bears the same responsibility as the Israelis for all the massacres committed against our people every day.”
Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, he said that Hamas had “partially lost control of the Strip due to its involvement in military activities“.
When asked whether they wanted the destruction of Israel, Naim said: “We want an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on the borders of 67″.
In an interview with Sky News, Naim, who served as youth minister and health minister in Gaza, claimed that no Israeli civilians had been killed – despite evidence to the contrary. He no longer says this, but claims that Hamas is also unsure about the events of October 7. Another (unverified) video from an alleged “whistleblower” from the Israeli army is currently circulating. Others have already made it clear that this is Palestinian propaganda.
(Image “Graffiti, Israel Security Wall” by kevincure is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)