Hamas Releases Memo Explaining Why It Waged War on Israel; Gazans Question Timing, Cite Criticism of Hamas

Hamas issued on Sunday an 18-page document explaining its official explanation for why it launched its attack on Israel October 7, saying that it was aimed at stopping the expansion of West Bank settlements and bringing an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Sources in the organization said the document was prepared because Hamas needed to justify the heavy price Gaza residents have paid in the three months since then.The paper describes the current war as part of a 105-year-old struggle of the Palestinian nation against colonialism – 30 years against the British mandate and 75 years against the State of Israel.

“Israel has destroyed our ability to create a Palestinian state by accelerating the settlement enterprise,” Hamas said, blaming the United Nations for failing to stop the process. “Were we supposed to continue waiting and relying on the helpless UN institutions?” the document asked.

Hamas said the war is designed to “to stop the Israeli plan to control the area and to Judaize it and to harm the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” In regard to Gaza, the organization claimed that the enclave had “been turned into the world’s largest open-air prison” and that the war “was necessary to end the blockade.”

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The timing of the document’s release raised questions among Palestinians. Sources in Gaza, some of whom identify with Hamas, said the organization was contending with criticism over the heavy price Gazans have paid, both in terms of the number killed and the unprecedented destruction. The paper also comes amid reports that talks have been renewed over a hostage deal and cease-fire.

A central political Hamas activist from told Haaretz that acceptance of the justifications for the war will ultimately depend on what the organization can claim to have achieved. “If there is a massive release of prisoners, including important ones, and if there are significant political developments that include the Strip, then Hamas can say that the sacrifice was really for strategic goals,” he said. “If not, then the memorandum won’t make any difference.”

Open gallery view

Sources in the Gaza Strip noted the importance of the timing of the publication in terms of the Arab and international scene. They said Hamas is trying to give the impression that the decision to start the war was supported by all the organization, including its leadership abroad.

Last November, Haaretz reported that Palestinian sources believed that Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif, the leaders of Hamas’ military wing, had not included Ismail Haniyeh and the organization’s political leadership in the decision to stage the October 7 attack.

The Palestinian source said through the memorandum, Hamas was sending a message to the International Court of Justice in The Hague that Hamas should not be judged solely by the events of October 7 without examining Israel’s conduct in the West Bank and Gaza over the past decades.