Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has publicly called on Israel to impose a definitive deadline for the release of all Israeli and international hostages currently held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. A critic of Hamas, Yousef even suggested that Israel should target and eliminate Hamas leaders, including his father, if the hostages are not freed.
Yousef, with his intimate understanding of Hamas’s mindset, emphasized the danger of releasing convicted terrorists from Israeli prisons in exchange for hostages. He argued that this would pose a significant threat not only to Israel but to humanity as a whole, as it could lead to more innocent lives being lost.
His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a prominent figure in Hamas and the group’s spokesperson in the West Bank, has been imprisoned multiple times by Israel for inciting terrorism. The elder Yousef was arrested again by Israeli forces on October 19, as part of a broader operation targeting senior Hamas officials in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.
Mosab Hassan Yousef acknowledged Israel’s recent compromises, made under the pressure of securing the release of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly from Gaza. However, he stressed that Israel should now focus on a more assertive approach against Hamas, instead of further compromises.
Yousef argued that the remaining hostages, particularly soldiers and those unable to defend themselves, should be considered as war prisoners. He suggested that Israel’s strategy should shift from a rescue mission to an offensive aimed at dismantling Hamas.
In his communication with the international community, Yousef warned of the risks if Hamas continues to exist as both a military and political entity in Gaza. He criticized Hamas for risking the lives of innocent Gazans and accused them of using children as political pawns. Yousef condemned Hamas as “savages” committing atrocities against both Israelis and Gazans.
Yousef, who has severed ties with his family, left Hamas in the late ’90s and collaborated with Israeli security services to thwart several terrorist plots. He details his journey away from Hamas and his conversion to Christianity in his bestselling memoir, “Son of Hamas,” published in 2010.
