Hamas leader tells Norwegian TV group is proud of Oct. 7, denies killing civilians

Osama Hamdan argued that one of the main outcomes of the attack was Israel’s diplomatic isolation, which he described as a deliberate objective.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A senior Hamas official told Norway’s state broadcaster that the group remains proud of the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel and rejected accusations that its fighters killed civilians during the attack.

In a rare on-camera interview with NRK, Osama Hamdan spoke from a concealed location in Istanbul with presenter Yama Wolasmal. It marked his second appearance on the network since the start of the war.

Despite nearly two years of fighting in Gaza, Hamdan said Hamas views October 7 as a success. “I’m proud that we’re continuing to resist after 75 years of occupation,” he said.

He argued that one of the main outcomes of the attack was Israel’s diplomatic isolation, which he described as a deliberate objective.

“The first achievement is that Israel has been isolated. The international community thinks that Israel is not just an occupier but a state that commits genocide,” he said. He added, “The second achievement is that we have shown that this state, even if they commit genocide, is not as strong as they are claiming.”

When Wolasmal noted that Gaza itself has been devastated and Hamas remains sidelined internationally and excluded from negotiations, Hamdan dismissed the point, saying no cost could be placed on “freedom.”

He insisted that efforts to end the war had failed because Israel avoided agreements and maintained that all suffering on both sides stemmed from Israeli actions.

Asked why a Palestinian widow living in dire conditions should support Hamas after October 7, Hamdan replied that civilians understood who was responsible for their losses and cited a figure of 75,000 Palestinians killed by Israel.

It should be noted that the 75,000 figure is derived from the Hamas Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish in its numbers between civilians and terrorists killed.

Hamdan denied that Hamas killed civilians at the Supernova music festival, claiming Israeli forces were responsible despite videos released by the group’s Al-Qassam Brigades.

Challenged on this, he maintained that the narrative had been fabricated.

He also defended Hamas’ governance, saying elections held in 2006 were sufficient to establish legitimacy and rejected claims that Palestinians fear criticizing the group.

Hamdan acknowledged summary executions of alleged collaborators, calling such actions legal “field trials” under Palestinian law.