Head of the political department of Hamas abroad Sami Abu Zuhri discussed the U.S. Department of Justice terrorism charges brought against six senior Hamas leaders for the October 7 Hamas attack, in a September 4, 2024 interview with Al-Araby TV (Qatar). He said that the American citizens that were victims of the October 7 attack were "murderers," soldiers who were killed or taken captive during the fighting "in Gaza or on its border." Abu Zuhri suggested that they were mercenaries who had been sent by the United States to kill Palestinian women and children. He said that these are "stupid decisions," and Hamas has no intention of paying them any thought. On September 3, 2024, the Department of Justice announced terrorism charges against six senior Hamas leaders for orchestrating the attack in which more than 1,000 innocent civilians were murdered, including 40 American citizens. The DOJ singled out Hamas leaders alive and dead, including, Ismail Haniyeh, Muhammad Deif, Marwan Issa, Yahya Sinwar, Khaled Mashal, and Ali Baraka.
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The American Citizens Referenced In The DOJ Announcement Of Terrorism Charges Against Hamas Leaders Were "Murderers... Mercenaries Who Came To Gaza To Kill Us, Our Women, And Our Children"
Sami Abu Zuhri: "Who are the American citizens referred to in the announcement [of DOJ terrorism charges] against Hamas? There are no American citizens. They are murderers, who were taken captive during the fighting in Gaza or on its border.
"If the U.S. considers them to be American citizens, then why has it sent them to kill our women and children?
"Therefore, terrorism is what was done by these soldiers, and the mercenaries who came to Gaza to kill us, our women, and our children.
"Nobody Is Deceived By The Misleading Claim That American Citizens Were Killed; These Were Soldiers Who Participated In Acts Of Killing"
"This is the message that America needs to understand. Nobody is deceived by the misleading claim that Americans citizens were killed. These are soldiers who have participated in acts of killing. They were taken captive during the fighting, and it is the occupation that has caused their killing.
"In addition, who is a terrorist? Is it someone who defends his people, or someone who sends weapons and bombs to kill women and children? Terrorists are those who wage a genocidal war against the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza. These are the terrorists. Therefore, we could not care less about the American decisions and classifications. We have rights, and such decisions will not succeed in pushing us back. We will continue to adhere to our rights and defend them. These are stupid decisions and we couldn't care less about them."
Interviewer: "Will you address this case? Will there be a defense them when this case is brought before the U.S. court?"
Sami Abu Zuhri: "As far as we are concerned, there is no case. We are paying no attention to this. We have not thought about it and will not think about it. We have a cause and we are confident in what we are doing, and will continue to do it. These American decisions are worthless."
