Senior Hamas official celebrates: 'Recognition of Palestine is due to Oct 7'

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan on Wednesday described the recent wave of recognitions of a Palestinian state as "a step in the right direction, even if it came very late."

In an interview with Al-Mayadeen channel, Hamdan attributed the recognitions to "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" (Hamas’ term for the Oct. 7 attack).

“These recognitions are only a small step, as we expect practical measures, foremost among them an end to the war in Gaza,” Hamdan said.

He called on the countries that recognized Palestine not to settle for declarations, but to "take practical steps, chief among them halting arms exports to Israel and suspending economic and political ties with it."

Hamdan stated that since the attempted assassination of the Hamas leadership in Qatar, “the organization has not conveyed any messages regarding ending the war, neither to the President of the United States nor to anyone else.”

According to him, “an act of aggression was carried out against a sovereign state, Qatar, which served as a mediator.”

He accused the Americans of trying “to recycle old messages and present new proposals to create the illusion that negotiations are taking place, all in order to cover up the killings in Gaza.”

Hamdan claimed that the United States was “fully complicit” in the “criminal” attack in Qatar.

Hamdan also criticized Trump’s speech at the UN, claiming that he “sees everything in the world but fails to see the mass killing taking place in Gaza, instead scolding European countries for purchasing oil from Russia.”

Written by KAN 11 correspondents Guy Maayan and Roi Kais.