Lebanese Sunni-Islamist Leader: Hamas’s Decision to Launch the October 7 Attack Was Not Reckless

Lebanese Sunni-Islamist leader Azzam Al-Ayoubi, who is the former leader of the Sunni-Islamist group Al-Jama'ah Al-Islamiyah, spoke in an April 1, 2024 interview on Al-Jadeed TV (Lebanon) about the number of Gazans killed in the current war. He said that the Gazans have sacrificed 30,000 "martyrs" and that "liberation comes at a price," and he pointed out that for contrast, the revolution in Algeria had cost 1.5 million lives. He claimed that thus far, the people of Gaza "accept" and "are pleased with" the number of casualties in the war, and that he thinks these sacrifices are "worth it" because Israel now has a "very bleak future" and the Gazan resistance has remained intact and steadfast in the face of the Israeli military for six months. He elaborated that the war has not been a "losing or reckless bet" for the Gazans, and that even if Hamas and its entire leadership are “martyred” on the path to the liberation of Palestine, this is "no problem" and would still be worth the sacrifice.