PALESTINIAN group, Hamas on Sunday defended its October 7 attacks against Israel but admitted to “faults” and called for an end to “Israeli aggression” in Gaza, where the health ministry said the death toll passed 25,000.
Southern Gaza is the latest focus of Israel’s battle to destroy the group responsible for the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
In its first public report on the attacks that began the war, Hamas said they were a “necessary step” against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and a way to secure release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later vowed “complete victory” and said his government would not accept Hamas’s conditions for releasing hostages still held in Gaza.
Hamas’s 16-page report admitted “some faults happened… due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the chaos caused along the border areas”.
Hamas seized about 250 hostages during the attacks, and Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza.
The army announced the death of another soldier in the October 7 attacks and said his body remains in Gaza.
This brings to 28 the number of dead captives still in the Palestinian territory, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli data.
