Hamas’ cause is “sick” and it must be removed from power, according to the eldest son of Hamas’ founder, who asserted that war is now the sole pathway to peace while laying blame for civilian casualties solely on Hamas, whom he accused of “hijacking” Palestinian society.
He also warned its supporters — whom he accused of caring “least” for Palestinians “oppressed” by Hamas — of impending regret for siding with Hamas “criminals” who are “killing Palestinian people” and whose sole mission is to “annihilate Israel.”
On Thursday, Mosab Hassan Yousef, who has a history of public speaking about his experiences and transformation from a Hamas insider to an Israel supporter, openly criticized Hamas and its supporters in a passionate segment on Piers Morgan’s talk show.
Yousef, originally aligned with his father Sheikh Hassan Yousef’s Hamas movement, eventually grew disenchanted with the organization’s violent tactics and chose to covertly aid Israeli intelligence.
He later chronicled his journey and transformation in his autobiography, Son of Hamas.
According to Yousef, Hamas has always aimed to annihilate Israel, demonstrating no acceptance of the state’s right to exist.
“Since its establishment, Hamas has one goal in mind, which is annihilating the State of Israel,” he said, noting that it is “not a secret” that the terror group seeks to destroy the Jewish State.
“They cannot accept Israel or accept Israel’s right to exist,” he added.
Asked at what point he decided to escape the Hamas environment, Yousef highlighted events going all the way back to his childhood.
“Since I was a child, I [had] asked my father many questions about Hamas delusions, about their brutality, about their abuse of power, and always he justified their position,” he said. “Then I was imprisoned with Hamas. I spent about 27 months in Israeli prisons where Hamas was torturing their own members — our own people — within Israeli prisons … They killed, actually, and tortured hundreds of prisoners.”
“This is when I started asking myself the question: what if Hamas becomes the ruler at some point, what will they do to our people?” he asked, noting that they did many years later and he “wasn’t surprised by their brutality” after they had gained rule over Gaza.
Though not surprised by the savagery of the group, Yousef expressed shock at the “scale” of Hamas’ October 7 massacre in southern Israel, which saw some 2,500 terrorists burst into Israel by land, sea, and air and gun down participants at an outdoor music festival while others went door-to-door hunting, torturing, shooting, and kidnapping Jewish men, women, and children in local towns.
Members of the Home Front Command inspect Kibbutz Be’eri, the scene of some of the deadliest fighting in the Hamas incursion that began Saturday. (Baz Ratner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The unprecedented attack, the worst in Israel’s history, saw Hamas terrorists slaughter over 1,400 people inside the Jewish state and wound 5,300 more. They also took at least 224 hostages of all ages.
The vast majority of the victims are civilians and include dozens of American citizens.
He noted that Hamas’s “wiping out entire communities” of Israelis, a people who are saddled with trauma from the Holocaust, “opened the gates of hell on the Palestinian people,” and demonstrated the terror group’s lack of concern for Palestinian children and civilians.
“This is how irresponsible this group [of] people [is] — that they are willing to actually sacrifice many Palestinian children, the entire Palestinian people, and use them as a fuel to just achieve their ideological agendas, their religious agendas,” he said.
“Hamas’ cause is a sick one — it’s coming from the pit of hell — and they need to be removed from power,” he added.
He then insisted that it is crucial to stop the terror group now to prevent more deadly future conflicts.
“This is my message as an ex-Hamas member, as a son of one of Hamas’ founders: enough of this. If we don’t stop them now, the next war is going to be deadlier, and only God knows what will happen next if Hamas is not finished as soon as possible,” he declared.
Addressing Palestinian support for Hamas, Yousef anticipated a celebration in Gaza upon Hamas’s removal, with gratitude extended to Israel.
“Once Hamas is removed from power, we’re going to witness people celebrating in Gaza. I guarantee you that,” he said. “The people of Gaza are oppressed [by Hamas] for so long and they had to endure siege; they had to endure violence [and] many wars for the sake of Hamas’ lust for power and for Hamas’ political ambition,” he said.
“When this comes to an end, I promise you that the Palestinian people, first of all, will thank Israel for what they did,” he added.
In addition, he expressed his belief that after the current conflict ends, the notion of “annihilating the Jews and the state of Israel” will be “dropped forever.”
“Hamas is the last experiment of adapting violence, trying to annihilate and destroy the State of Israel,” he explained, emphasizing that Israel is “going nowhere.”
Asked about how to achieve peace under the current circumstances, Yousef explained, “this time, I’m afraid that war is the only way to peace.”
“Because if Hamas is not removed from power, then they will build more [of their] military, they will build longer range missiles, and the next attack — the next war — is going to be deadlier,” he said.
“The use of force is the last resort,” he added, “you can find this in every culture and, unfortunately, now Hamas left Israel and the free world as well, with no choice but to fight them and put an end for their violence.”
Cal State Long Beach students hold a campus rally in support of Palestinians caught up in the conflict that continued to rage unabated between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Addressing the many civilians who are dying, he noted that he is well aware but clarified that “their blood is on the hands of Hamas and Hamas only.”
He also criticized pro-Palestinian activists, particularly those from outside of the conflict zone, for misrepresenting the Palestinian struggle and supporting the “criminal” Hamas movement.
“Those who are using what [is] so called the Palestinian cause, they care the least for the Palestinian children and their future,” he said, adding that Palestinian society “has been hijacked by [Hamas] criminals and anybody who takes their side is participating in their crime.”
In addition, Yousef emphasized the stark differences between Israel and Hamas in their treatment of civilians during conflicts, praising Israel for its efforts to minimize civilian casualties.
“It’s a fact that Hamas uses civilians as human shields” while “it’s a fact that Israel called and warns civilians to evacuate buildings before they strike them,” he said, noting that “in the meantime, Hamas put roadblocks to stop civilians from evacuating to safe zones.”
“Israel is a democracy, Israel is accountable, Israel is not thirsty for Palestinian blood,” he added.
While Israel is “capable of wiping out Arab capitals in seconds,” Yousef pointed to how Israel “does not attempt to abuse its power,” yet “when the Arabs have just a little bit of power, a couple of missiles, they misuse [that] power by launching them at civilians [to] kill them in their living rooms.”
“We have a fundamental problem and we need to stop blaming Israel,” he stated. “We invited this upon our heads and the rest of the world, if they don’t know the reality on the ground, it’s better that they shut up,” he added.
He then accused supposed supporters of the Palestinians of being both ignorant of the situation and apathetic to the people’s true needs.
People light candles during the “Jewish Community Vigil” for Israel in London, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, two days after Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
“Enough bloodshed and enough involvement from people who don’t care. They are just warriors on keyboards. They’re just storming world capitals saying ‘Free Palestine! Free Palestine!’ They don’t know what the hell Palestine is! I am Palestine! And [what] I say is enough of Hamas! It’s enough of the corrupt leaderships!” he exclaimed.
“We don’t want a Palestinian state, I don’t want a Palestinian State. Palestinian children need education, they need security, they need life. This is what they need, they don’t need another corrupt Arab regime,” he added.
Answering a question about potential radicalization due to Israeli military actions, Yousef expressed confidence in the eventual removal of Hamas from power and the pursuit of justice against its leaders, warning those currently supporting Hamas of future regret.
“Listen to this: we are going to remove Hamas from power — remember my words,” he said. “Hamas did not only bring the wrath of Israel over Gaza, Hamas brought the wrath of God.”
“We are going to remove them from power and we are going to prosecute their leaders and we are going to bring them to justice, and the world will witness their punishment, and everyone who takes their side today, in this state of confusion, thinking that this is a joke, I tell those people that you are going to regret taking the side of Hamas,” he added. “You are going to regret taking the side of those criminals who are killing the Palestinian people.”
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
