The Shin Bet security agency on Sunday released footage of the interrogation of former Hamas communications minister, Yousef al-Mansi, who appears to excoriate the terror group and its leadership.
More stories:
"It's a group of madmen led by Sinwar. They have destroyed the Gaza Strip, setting it back 200 years," he said, referring to the group’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.
During his interrogation, Al-Mansi, who was arrested on December 5 and served as a minister under the group's former leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh, criticized Hamas' policies and spoke about the damage, destruction and devastation inflicted by the terrorist organization on the Gaza Strip.
"People in the Strip say that Sinwar and his bunch have ruined us, we must get rid of them. They are directly responsible," he accused.
"I haven't seen anyone who supports Sinwar, no one likes him. Some people pray day and night that God will free us from him. The achievements of Hamas are the killing and destruction of more than 60% of the buildings, infrastructure, streets and public facilities."
Al-Mansi also claimed that Sinwar has "delusions of grandeur, feeling that he is above everyone and acts only according to his own thoughts. He makes decisions without consulting anyone."
He added that popular disdain for Sinwar's rule among Gazans is simmering under the surface and that he would have joined protests against the Hamas terror chief if he were back in Gaza.
Al-Mansi also expressed his dismay with Iran bankrolling Hamas' military buildup, saying the "money is for destruction."
The former Hamas communications czar also condemned the group's October 7 attack on Israeli border towns, describing it as "madness," "heresy” and “the antithesis to Islam."
"What they did is incomprehensible, against reason, religion and intellect. Those responsible for this are Sinwar and his bunch. My advice to the people of Gaza is to oppose Sinwar's group. Let us live, care for our people. We'll rebuild Gaza; it will take time, the wound is deep. There's no food, no drink, no water, no electricity, no fuel. The Gaza Strip is dead," he lamented.
Al-Mansi also stressed that Hamas must be removed from Gaza completely and let the Palestinian people rebuild their lives and pursue peace.
"If they want Iran, let them go to Iran. Want Syria? Go to Syria. We don't want them. Let us live, heal our wounds. To this day, there are dead under the rubble of houses. If they leave, we'll slowly rebuild the Gaza Strip,” he said. “We'll try to make peace in the region. It will take time, but there must be peace in the end."
Al-Mansi's comments come amid growing resentment among Gaza populace, with civilians voicing sharp criticism of Hamas in public, an act that would have been unheard under the Islamist faction’s stranglehold on the Palestinian territory before the war.
Last week, Saudi network Al-Arabiya published statements from Gazans criticizing the regime, two months after the outbreak of the war and following the tremendous destruction in the Strip.
4 View gallery
Displaced Palestinian civilians leaving the war-torn northern Gaza Strip
(Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
The Saudi network described the video as "widespread criticism of the Hamas movement, with cries from Gaza residents to quickly end the war," while pinning the blame squarely on Hamas, with no mention of Israel.
In one of the segments aired by Al-Arabiya, a Gazan woman tearfully says, "We paid the price, we paid for Hamas' entry ticket. Hamas destroyed the civilians. I can't find food for my children, why did they do this to us? Hamas lost us."
The day before, Al-Arabiya published another report titled A Palestinian refugee in Gaza: 'Sinwar, you have destroyed us'. In the article, the refugee recounts relocating from Gaza City to Khan Younis and then on to Rafah. In the video, he describes how Hamas operatives plundered humanitarian aid that was sent to war-torn enclave.