A senior Hamas spokesman defends the abduction of Israeli infants, asserting they must exert pressure on Israel.
A senior Hamas spokesman defended the terror organization’s abduction of young Israeli children, telling American media Thursday that the youngsters must work to “pressure” their government to change its policies.
Speaking with CBS in an interview aired Thursday, Ghazi Hamad responded to questions regarding the kidnapping of Israeli civilians, including children.
Hamad justified the abductions, stating they were carried out in order to “impose pressure on their government, to tell them that you pushed us to hell.”
When asked how young children, including 10-month old Kfir Bibas and four-year-old Ariel Bibas – both of whom Hamas recently claimed died in captivity – could do to change Israeli government policies, Hamad said: “They have to exert pressure on Israel, their government, in order to tell them that you are going in the wrong way.”
Kfir, Ariel, and their mother, Shiri, were taken into captivity on October 7th, along with their father.
Earlier this week, Hamas issued a statement claiming that Shiri and her two children had died in captivity. The statement was followed by a video recording of Yarden Bibas responding to claims that his wife and children had died.
In Thursday’s interview, Hamad also downplayed the importance of the lives of Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza, saying it is “not so important” how many of them are alive.
“I don’t know. The number is not so important.”