In a comprehensive 16-page report, Hamas acknowledged “some faults” in its initial rampage in southern Israel on October 7. The admission attributed these faults to the swift collapse of the Israeli security and military system, creating chaos along the border areas with Gaza. The terror group justified the attacks as a “necessary step” to confront perceived Israeli conspiracies against the Palestinian people.
During the October 7 attacks, Hamas militants launched a significant surprise offensive, firing around 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip to Israel, marking one of the most critical attacks on Israel in years. Following the offensives and Israeli Defense Forces’ retaliation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war, vowing to prevail.
The 16-page document, Hamas’ first public release in English and Arabic justifying the attacks, highlighted the death toll of nearly 1,400 people, predominantly civilians, during the rampage. The report also mentioned the capture of 250 hostages by Hamas during the attacks, with Israel claiming that approximately 132 hostages remain in Gaza.
Hamas called for an immediate halt to Israeli aggression, crimes, and ethnic cleansing against the Gaza population. Emphasizing the Palestinian people’s capacity to decide their future and internal affairs, the statement rejected any external interference in their decisions.
As the conflict unfolded, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported a death toll surpassing 25,000 in the war-torn Palestinian territory, with around 1.7 million people displaced. UN agencies urged urgent aid access to address the looming threats of famine and disease. Simultaneously, Israel intensified its offensive against Hamas in southern Gaza, aiming to dismantle the group responsible for the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
Rising tensions and violence across the Middle East raised concerns about a broader conflagration involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The Biden administration planned a sustained military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen to counter their attacks on maritime commerce, following unsuccessful strikes in the preceding days.
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