Son of Hamas leader speaks out as war rages with Israel
Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose father is a Hamas leader, joined 'FOX & Friends' to discuss his experience with the terrorist group and why he decided to leave that life behind.
The son of a founding Hamas leader broke his silence on his decision to denounce the terrorist group after he turned on his own family and converted to Christianity, suggesting Israel "explore using gas" to get Hamas out of the tunnels in Gaza.
Mosab Hassan Yousef, who spied in favor of the Israelis and sought asylum in the U.S., spoke out on his decision to leave the life of terror behind and explained what he believes Israel should do during "FOX & Friends" on Thursday.
Yousef told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade that Israel should explore using gas after evacuating civilians in Gaza.
"It sounds horrible, but I don’t see any other option. The tunnels are interconnected, and gas could be one of the solutions. But this has to be in the right time. We cannot just rush into Gaza. There’s no modern army that is prepared for this type of war. And most importantly, we need to get the civilians out of the picture. As long as there are civilians there, then the operation might be incomplete," he said.
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Yousef also spoke out about his decision to turn on his family and become Christian.
"I was born at the heart of Hamas leadership… and I know them very well. They don't care for the Palestinian people. They do not regard the human life," Yousef told Kilmeade.
"I saw their brutality firsthand back in 1996 when I spent about a year and a half in Megiddo Prison… They killed so many Palestinian people at that point, and this is when I decided that I cannot be together with this movement."
"I had to be honest with myself. Even though Hamas gave me advantages…. I was like a prince in that world… but I did not like them," he continued. "I turned against even my own blood… because this is how much I did not like Hamas, and today, 25 years later, they are the rulers of Gaza, and we see what they are capable of doing."
His remarks come nearly two weeks after the terror group carried out a massacre on Israeli border communities, murdering and dismembering civilians, including children, and taking hostages.
They also reportedly have upwards of 200 hostages held in Gaza, which is currently facing dire food, water and medicine shortages.
Israel declared war shortly thereafter and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have traded airstrikes with Hamas as a ground invasion remains imminent.
"Hamas is not a national movement. Hamas is a religious movement with a goal to establish an Islamic state," Yousef said. "They don't care for nationalism. Actually, they are against nationalism. But that's my understanding that they are using the Palestinian cause only to achieve their goals, so the long-term goal… [is] transforming the Middle East and the world into an Islamic state."
But Yousef said the real culprit behind the scenes is Iran - a known sponsor of the terror group.
The country's foreign minister posted an ominous tweet on Wednesday that said time is "running out" for Israel.
"Iran is the real master in this picture," Yousef said. "Hamas does not serve the Palestinian people, Hamas serves Iran. Those are the masters of Hamas. So their lie about nationalism, that they are a national movement… They are using Palestinian people as a human shield."
"We need to free Gaza from Hamas," he continued. "Israel … is doing the Palestinian people the greatest favor by bringing Hamas down."
At least 4,800 people have been killed on both sides since the war began earlier this month, including at least 30 Americans.
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Fox News' Lawrence Richard and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
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