Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the October 7 “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation disproved claims that Israel was here to stay and “proved that Israel would not survive,” and added that the “image of Jihad has begun to shine once again.”
Hamdan made the remarks in a November 10 interview posted on SamaQuds; the comments and excerpts were reported by regional monitors.
Hamdan also denied accusations that Jihad involves sexual violence or the killing of civilians and urged those who “support Palestine” to become mujahidin — “fighters engaged in Jihad” — “wherever and however he can,” language that international observers say amounts to a call to mobilize supporters. The remarks were carried online and amplified across social platforms.
NEWSRAEL: WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
Hamdan’s statement openly glorifies the October 7 attacks and rebrands jihad as a global duty for all supporters of Hamas, not just Muslims. By framing violence as a religious obligation, he seeks to rally followers beyond Gaza, posing a risk of radicalization and international terror recruitment inspired by Hamas’s ideology.