Questions to special guest Abu-Maha concerning the infamous events of Oct 7, 2023.

SS. Abu-Maha. Thank you for agreeing to speak with us. 

The IDF have used the events of October 7, 2023 at the Nova Music Festival as justification for their further advances into Gaza. Can you give us your take on these events?

AM. Thank you for having me Stephanie. In the early morning of October 7th, orders were given to us to capture as many hostages as possible. The aim was to negotiate their release for Palestinian hostages and exert pressure to lift sanctions on Gaza. 

Obviously, none of these orders intended civilian casualties; capturing them alive was the priority as killing hostages does not aid our objectives. However it was understood that if we were attacked by the IDF, we would naturally defend ourselves. Which we did.

SS. A number of reports insist that the intent was for Hamas to kill as many people as possible. Is this not true?

Again Stephanie, this allegation that we were responsible for a large-scale massacre of civilians on October 7th is far-fetched and doesn't align with our objectives for the operation. What would be the possible benefit?

What sets us apart from the occupiers is our values and beliefs, unlike them, we don't fight out of a sense of superiority or with weapons supplied by corrupt systems and companies. We must uphold these values if we want God to be on our side. We stand firm in our Islamic principles, and have nothing to conceal or to hide. 

SS. I’ve seen the images of the destruction. What caused all the damage on October 7th? Hamas has weapons that would be in line with the type of artillery used, no?

AM. Stephanie, you've raised an important point. Israel has developed the Iron Dome defence system, which they claim intercepts 99% of incoming Qassam rockets. So, the critical question is whether the remaining 1% could account for all the observed damage.

Israeli press Haaretz has revealed that they have obtained testimony and documents proving that the “IDF ordered the Hannibal Directive on October 7 to prevent Hamas taking soldiers Captive”. This directs the use of force and was employed at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas, potentially endangering civilians as well.

The mindset is that "a dead civilian or soldier is better than a captured one." This likely granted “The IDF Air Operations Command Center” the authority to share coordinates without consideration for any civilian presence.

 Our understanding was that airstrikes were directed at locations believed to house freedom fighters, regardless of civilian presence. Remember, aircraft like jets and drones would fire missiles based on coordinates shared by the IDF command centre. So in fact, the IDF are to blame here for killing their own people.

SS. Is this why the cars were mangled so badly, hundreds of them? Apache helicopters were said to possibly have been used to create this type of destruction. Is that not the case? You’re saying jets were responsible? What type. F16’s?

AM. Based on our experiences with occupiers, a range of aircraft can be deployed for airstrikes, including F-16I Sufa and F-15I Ra'am jets. Additionally, armed Pioneer and Heron drones, along with the Apache helicopters you've mentioned, have been utilized in the past. We know for sure the airforce were used because their ground force were ordered to leave the strike area that same morning. No one realized why until later on, looking back in retrospect.

SS. It sound like there needs to be an in-depth investigation. Does Hamas have anything to hide? And why would they cooperate?

AM. We’ve been actively requesting the international community appoint a neutral party for an in-depth investigation concerning those who died whether from our tunnel-made rockets or American-made missiles. If it's found that they were killed by our actions we would accept full responsibility. Israel is the one restricting independent journalists from even conducting minor reports. 

Israel is also the only country prohibiting its citizens from sharing videos of bombings, an act that can land you in jail. Why? What are they hiding if they claim to be victims? It's them who hide, not us. 

Once again, our orders were explicit on October 7: capture as many live hostages as possible. Leaders such as “Abu-Ibrahim” (Yahya Sinwar) and others emphasized killing civilians would not further the goal of liberation from the occupiers' sanctions.

You shared with me the BBC video, footage that has been edited to align with the Zionist narrative. It lacks context and shows only one perspective.

Did it show whether the freedom fighter shouted for civilians to leave the shelter before throwing a grenade? No. Similarly, did BBC show the moment when the freedom fighter shouted for people in the car to exit their vehicle? Also no. This is a war zone Stephanie, freedom fighters, much like police officers in New York or Toronto, are positioned defensively.

You saw at the end how our freedom fighters treated the hostages that they captured. Did we shoot them or kill them? Everyone around the world saw our treatment for the hostages… versus how they have been treating our hostages.

SS. There have been no investigations, nor charges officially laid for October 7. Is this because Israel is hiding their own involvement? There is talk of them using the Hannibal directive…

AM. Ultimately, the proof that the objective of October 7th was to capture hostages, and not kill them, is we kept them alive. We kept them protected as best we can, but unfortunately their own government killed many of them.

Also regarding the Haaretz report you have shared with me: levelling Gaza represents the true definition of pure evil, evil is when decisions are made solely for personal gain, ignoring the devastating impact those choices have on others.

By levelling Gaza, they hope to isolate us from our mental strength. In reality, it binds us even closer because now we have nothing left to lose; ultimately, true bravery belongs to those unafraid of loss.

They aim to crush our spirit by levelling the ground, but instead, their actions fuel our resolve to continue fighting.

We trust that the Creator won't bestow the land on those who see themselves as superior and are ready to harm others for personal gain. Instead, it will be given to those who remain humble and steadfast in their faith.

They may possess advanced technology like F-15s and F-16s, but we have unwavering faith. We believe that despite our current struggles, the end of our story will be beautiful, as predetermined by the Creator.

This belief is at the core of our ideology: we will persist in our fight and resistance against them.

Our legacy for future generations involves telling stories about how we treated their captives with dignity according to Islamic values, while they subjected ours to horrific acts based on their flawed beliefs.

Regarding the events of October 7th as a possible "inside job”… The video you've shown me, and the BBC enquiry detailing an IDF soldier being instructed not to engage from 5:30 am to 9 am on October 7th, serves as evidence that airstrikes were planned for that period.

As I said before, from our experience, whenever the IDF plans to conduct an airstrike, it sends a request to ground forces to vacate the strike area.

However I’m not here to talk about IDF but rather the people and the fighters I represent. From our perspective, this conflict began with our fighters striving for liberation. Not by the zionist mafia.

SS. What were the consequences of October 7th when Hamas initiated actions against Israel?

It's clear that October 7th caused internal divisions within the occupying power; it revealed that each group or political party is pursuing their individual interests. This occupying power has reached its peak and is now deeply confused, lost compass and lacking clear direction. This situation no longer reflects the democratic system they once boasted about but is more like a drug-addict who has run out of the substance they are addicted to.

Even countries once unwavering in their support are now distancing themselves. Their current strategy seems destined to fail. What started as falsehood will end as a falsehood as well.

SS. Have you anything to say in the form of a message to Western nations or to those rooted in Christian values?

Yes. Israel isn't a country but rather a parasite, and unfortunately the West is its host. Don't allow this falsehood to undermine you; uphold what your founders fought for. Aim to be remembered positively in history.

Hamas is not your enemy; we have no intention of harming you. Our land lies in the Middle East, not in Europe or the West. Zionist media attempts to portray it otherwise. We are simply people like you who desire a normal life, a place where our children can live safely. We can help each other to have better life together, or you can continue to be a host to the zionist parasite.

Ultimately, the land will be inherited by the righteous and the humble as I mentioned earlier.

This is a message from my people to the world: Men were created for hardships, and Palestinian women have written many stories of resilience and defiance. 

Our will shall remain free, we were born here to live once. We shall live it free or die hard.

We'll stay to tell the story because we are witnesses to the crime; we've seen the fire and been burned by it. We have said repeatedly that the price we pay is too high, but nothing is costlier than Palestine with its streets, landmarks and villages. Thus, we will remain to water this land with our blood.

We'll stay here until the olive tree can grow anew without destruction. Even if we have nothing left, we won't leave until it's time to join the noble, prophets, and righteous in the afterlife.

Thank you, Stephanie, for inviting me; I'm truly honored to have the opportunity to represent my people, Hamas the freedom fighters.

Legal Disclaimer: The statements expressed in this article are those of an individual affiliated with Hamas and do not reflect the official statement of the organization as a whole.

August 15, 2025 Quote from Francesca Albanese on UN Watch:

"People continue to say 'But Hamas, Hamas, Hamas'.. I don't think people have any idea what Hamas is. Hamas is a political force that won the 2005 elections-whether we like it or not.

Hamas built schools, public facilities, hospitals. It was simply the authority, the de facto authority."

"So it is critical that you understand, that when you think of Hamas, you should not necessarily think of cut-throats, people armed to the teeth, or fighters. It's not like that."