Hamas document explains October 7 attack, calls on international community to end Israeli occupation

Hamas put forth a set of demands to the international community in a document titled, “This is our story... Why Operation al-Aqsa Flood?" released by the Gaza government media office on Sunday.

The release comes amid reports claiming that Hamas and Israel have shown willingness to resume negotiations for a second prisoner exchange deal, which Hamas officials have conditioned upon a comprehensive ceasefire agreement.

The demands include:

• Calling for “an immediate cessation of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and urgent action to halt [Israeli] crimes and genocide.”

• Opening border crossings, lifting the blockade on Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid and necessary resources for shelter and reconstruction.

• Calling for legal action to be taken against the Israeli occupation and for “accountability for the suffering and losses endured by the victims,” as well as “supporting the resistance against Israeli occupation through all available means.”

• Appealing to the "free nations of the world,” particularly those who have experienced colonialism or occupation and “fully comprehend the plight of the Palestinian people, especially countries in the Global South,” and any state or entity that stands by the principles of justice. They call upon these countries to take a “serious and effective stance against the double standards exercised by powers supporting Israeli occupation."

• Launching a global movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people and the rejection of any international or Israeli project that seeks to determine the future of the Gaza Strip based on the Occupation’s criteria, perpetuating its continuation. They also urge serious efforts to compel the Occupation to withdraw.

• Standing against attempts to displace Palestinians in the Occupied Territories of 1948, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, stating that there should be "no displacement to Sinai, Jordan, or any other place. If there is any movement of refugees, it should be their return to their homes from which they were expelled in 1948."

• Stressing the need to continue popular pressure, both Arab and Islamic, as well as international, to end the occupation, mobilize calls rejecting normalization and boycott Israeli goods, as well as companies and institutions supporting the Occupation.

• Urging the International Criminal Court, particularly the prosecutor and their investigative team, as well as relevant UN investigation committees, to “urgently and immediately come to occupied Palestine to investigate all crimes and violations, rather than rely on remote monitoring or succumbing to Israeli constraints.”

Apart from the demands, Hamas dedicated a significant portion of the document to refute what it referred to as Israeli falsehoods regarding Hamas’ treatment of Israeli civilians during Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7. Specifically addressed are claims that the Ezz Eddin al-Qassam Brigades intentionally targeted civilians, children and used sexual violence as a weapon.

Why Operation al-Aqsa Flood?

Hamas stated that its operation targeted Israeli military sites  which Hamas claims “have always been a launching point for shelling and firing on Gaza and its people”  and aimed to capture soldiers and fighters in order to secure the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by the Occupation through a prisoners exchange deal. Therefore, it argued, the attack focused on the Israeli military unit in Gaza and military sites in the settlements surrounding Gaza.

In addition to refuting Israeli claims about the events of October 7, the document presented Hamas’ reasons for launching Operation al- Aqsa Flood. It described it as a natural response to “confront Israeli schemes aimed at the eradication of the Palestinian cause, controlling and Judaizing the land, and asserting sovereignty over the Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites.”

The operation, it said, was a necessary step toward ending the unjust siege on Gaza, in the Palestinian quest for liberation from occupation, restoration of national rights, attainment of independence and freedom, exercising the right to self-determination, and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

While emphasizing that "Hamas, in accordance with international law, treaties and conventions, is a national liberation movement with legitimate goals and means," the document clarifies that the conflict with the "Zionist project" is not a conflict with Jews based on their religion. Instead, “it is a struggle against the Zionists because they are occupiers who violate our people, land and sanctities.” 

Conversely, "it is the Zionists who adopt religious claims and insist on imposing the Jewish nature of 'Israel' based on religious and nationalist backgrounds, while oppressing the Palestinian people and depriving them of their rights."

Targeting civilians

Although Israel’s social security agency has identified 1,139 dead on October 7, including 695 civilians, Hamas stressed its adherence to avoiding the targeting of civilians on that day in its document, especially women, children and the elderly, as part of a religious and moral commitment, and despite lacking precision weaponry. It pointed out that any such incidents were “unintentional, perhaps due to the full and rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system during Operation al-Aqsa Flood, as well as the ensuing chaos due to extensive breaches in the barrier and separation system between the Gaza Strip and [Hamas’] operational areas.”

In response to allegations that it targeted civilians on October 7, Hamas said that the “video footage taken on that day and the testimonies from Israelis that were later published, proved that Qassam fighters did not target civilians, but that many of them were killed at the hands of Israeli police and army forces due to their confusion.” Hamas also pointed to verified evidence which countered the false claim of the killing of 40 Israeli infants.

The Hamas document cited reports from the Israeli newspapers Yedioth Ahronoth and Haaretz, about the deaths of Israeli civilians on October 7 as a result of Israeli Apache helicopters opening fire on the attendees of the Nova festival near the Re'im settlement, where 364 people were killed. Haaretz cited an unnamed Israel Police official for its article but the Israel Police have since refuted this claim in a statement.

Hamas stated that its fighters arrived at the scene without prior knowledge of the festival and that Israeli pilots fired their shells and bullets indiscriminately.

The document also quoted Israeli testimonies which placed the blame on Israeli military raids and operations for the deaths of a large number of Israelis captured in settlements in Gaza’s vicinity, "where they bombed and destroyed houses during clashes with the resistance on October 7 and the following days."

The document adds, "additional evidence of the above is the Israeli occupation authorities' manipulation of the number of Israeli casualties on October 7. Initially, they claimed that 1,400 Israelis, including soldiers and settlers, were killed. However, weeks later, they reduced the number to 1,200, under the pretext that around 200 charred bodies were found to belong to Qassam fighters."

Clashes with armed settlers

Hamas further stated that there were “armed settlers in Gaza’s vicinity who clashed with the resistance on October 7 and participated in military operations alongside Occupation forces. Those who were killed among them were registered as Israeli civilian casualties.”

Sexual violence

The movement vehemently denied allegations of Palestinian resistance fighters sexually assaulting Israeli women, stating that these claims have been proven false. They referred to a paper published by Mondoweiss on December 1, 2023, which thoroughly investigated and debunked all rape allegations.