Reading the justifications of Hamas leaders for the consequences of October 7

I was not willing to talk about the statements of Hamas leaders regarding their knowledge or ignorance of the consequences of the events of October 7, but an inner feeling pushed me to search for the secrets of this issue, in which I see a lot of "riding the wave" or attempts to gain the approval of the powers of the international community and their hosts from Arab and Islamic countries. What increased my insistence on talking was my concern for the people of my city, Rafah. These statements were made by some leaders of the Hamas Political Bureau, who belong to Rafah, that they did not expect Israel's reaction to those events. Here, the talk took a new direction and could not be ignored. I see them as statements that fall within the scope of the popular saying: "I kept quiet for a long time." It would have been better for them to keep quiet, if they had actually expected something. The talk here is about Dr. Musa Abu Marzouq and Dr. Ghazi Hamad, who are now trying to paint a justifying picture of the consequences of October 7, using the pretext of surprise.

But Dr. Ghazi, from the moment the rockets were launched on October 7, 2023, it was clear to everyone - even to the elderly woman in Rafah - that the price would be high: tens of thousands of martyrs, many times that number of disabled, and two-thirds of Gaza under the rubble. How can you say and declare that "no one expected the occupation's response to October 7, not even any political thinker." This statement may be considered by the people of Gaza as an admission of defeat, but for me it is a confirmation of your deception of the people. By God, the people were deceived by you and your narrow calculations that failed to see the catastrophic consequences of those events. It would have been more appropriate for you to realize the truth and use your mind, in accordance with the words of God Almighty on the tongue of His Prophet Lot: "Is there not among you a man of sense?" What made matters worse was the statement of Dr. Musa Abu Marzouq, who said: "If I had known that the October 7 attack would bring us all this destruction and losses, I would have opposed it." This statement reflects three serious matters: First, clear political confusion; second, a complete failure to assess the consequences of events; and third, a disregard for and disdain for the intelligence of those who trusted you. How can an attack of this magnitude be planned without carefully calculating the consequences? How can someone who leads a people in a fierce confrontation say: “If only I had known”? Weren’t four devastating wars before the Al-Aqsa flood enough to learn lessons? Or are you still ignorant of the nature of the enemy you are facing? Or were you immersed in illusions of strength and the ability to control the results? It seems that you failed to read reality and plunged into an adventure with ill-considered consequences, for which the Palestinian people paid a heavy price.

Dr. Moussa, allow me: And may everyone excuse me, for your statements, I can find only one of two explanations: Either you have become politically demented, or you are deliberately ignoring a fact that cannot be forgotten. How can you forget your statement that you issued more than eight months after the war, when you called on the Israeli army - with enviable boldness - to enter Rafah? Didn't you realize at the time the extent of the destruction left by the tanks and heavy bulldozers in every city they invaded? And at that time, we had exceeded thirty thousand martyrs. Isn't it the ordinary citizen who is paying the price of that challenge today? And how did you forget, Dr. Moussa, that your call did not only harm Gaza and its people, but also blackened Egypt's image in the eyes of the world, and caused the resistance to lose a strategic card that it possessed? You have violated Egypt's card, just as you violated Hezbollah's card, thus weakening the resistance equation and losing the tools of power. You possessed enough wisdom and experience to realize that an empty challenge does not create victory, and that stubbornness at the expense of the people is not recorded as heroism in the pages of history.

Here: I imagine - and I hope I am wrong - that Hamas leaders were engaged in a fierce competition and a heated race over which cities in Gaza would be trampled and destroyed the most, and which would have the highest number of dead and disabled, so that their sons could advance to the political bureau and head it. I also have this feeling whenever I hear statements by some leaders, such as those of Osama Hamdan and others, when they talk about the numbers of martyrs and wounded as if they were just financial figures deposited in financial accounts, or points counted in a political race. Where is the sanctity of blood? Where is the appreciation of the lives that were lost and the dreams that were destroyed? War is not just numbers recorded in statistics to be published and wept over in press conferences and in front of satellite TV screens. It is the destruction of lives, the erasure of the future, and a tragedy experienced by an entire people. It would have been better for you, Dr. Musa, and your comrades to use your minds and think about the humanitarian consequences before you boast about wars that have brought nothing but destruction to Gaza. Those numbers are not just statistics; they are lives, dreams, and the future of a people who suffer pain every day.

The delay in your statements and apologies does not necessarily reflect a true review or a sincere sense of responsibility. Rather, it seems to us that it is taking one of two paths: The first is that it is a calculated tactic to reshape reality and control the scene. You are well aware that the masses are looking for security more than the truth, and you know that the rhetoric that you have always used as a tool for mobilization can bring you back to the forefront, even if it is on the ruins of a suffering people. The second path is your feeling of the exposure and weakness of your position before the international community, which categorically refuses to include you in the scene, and your awareness that the rug may be pulled out from under your feet, so you found no escape from trying to survive by raising the slogan "War is a deception." This is a slogan that I do not think the people of Gaza will see in the true meaning in which it was said, and which you want, and that their vision will touch you badly and none of you will escape their tongues. You have toyed with the destinies of the people, and made the Palestinian people fuel for your losing battles, without any real concern for their fate or the future of this wounded homeland.

Finally, stop these voices that increase the people's hatred for their sons, and enough deception and exploitation of people's feelings. Enough gambling with the lives of the simple. The people can no longer tolerate more deception or adventures that they alone pay the price for. Preserve the beautiful image that has inhabited the minds and hearts of the masses, those masses that stood by you in the most difficult moments. Preserve the memory of our martyrs who departed racing to the heavens of God, and preserve the biography of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Al-Rantisi, Abu Shanab, Al-Ayyash, and Al-Sarraj. Do not defile their memory with statements that distort their pure path. If you do not have anything to say wisely and responsibly, then silence is more honorable and noble.