Hamas
The Palestinian militant group believes the October 7 attack against Israel was “necessary,” but acknowledges it made “mistakes.” This is stated in a 16-page report. It is the first of its kind announced by Hamas since the October attack that triggered a bloody war in the Gaza Strip. “Some mistakes were made due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system and the chaos that ensued along the border areas with Gaza,” Hamas said. In the report, Hamas called the attack against Israel “a necessary step” against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. It is also a tool to force Israel to release Palestinian prisoners held in prisons in Israel. It is unclear why the report is being published now, barely three and a half months after Hamas’s attack, which claimed the lives of some 1140 people in Israel. The majority of them were civilians. In the report, Hamas said its militants followed “Islamic values”. If civilians were hit, “it happened by mistake and during the confrontation with the occupying forces”, the group claims. /ritzau/AFP