"We weren't supposed to kidnap... the mission was simply to kill": Hamas terrorist involved in attacking Kfar Aza
Nov 02, 2023
Tel Aviv [Israel], November 2 : A Hamas terrorist, who was involved in pillaging Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel has said their mission was simply to kill, and they were not supposed to kidnap, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel's Shin Bet released footage on Wednesday of a Hamas terrorist describing his actions in Southern Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
"The mission was simply to kill. We weren't supposed to kidnap. Just kill," Hamas operative Omar Abu Rusha said.
He further said that they were asked to kill every person they saw, according to The Times of Israel.
"(We were told) to kill every person we see and come back," he stated.
When asked about whether they were asked to make any distinction between men, women and children, Rusha said, he was not, reported The Times of Israel.
Rusha was then asked about the goal of the attack and why he was instructed to kill indiscriminately, he replied, "They told us that all the settlers were soldiers...Kill every single one you see."
The interviewer further asked, "They told you to kill everyone? The women and the children?"
"Yes," Rusha replied.
Aza Rusha further described the massacre in Kfar Aza, stressing, "We got to Kfar Aza. We were inside a jeep. (Our guide) opened the fence on the border of Kfar Aza using an explosive device."
He along with his crew entered several houses and set them on fire if they were empty. After setting fire to the first house, "Someone came out towards the garden in the back with a water hose. (Members of our team) saw him, shot him, and killed him. That's the first thing that happened," he said.
At the second house, Abu Rusha himself set fire to the bedroom.
"We went to the third house. There was a woman inside. Hamzeh killed her. He shot her," Rusha added.
Furthermore, he said that his team examined another empty house and moved on to the fifth one, where they stayed for about 90 minutes, reported The Times of Israel.
"Then, three settlers came in our direction," he said.
There was an exchange of fire during which Abu Rusha killed one person and his comrades threw grenades. "After that, the shooting stopped," Rusha added.
Following this, they went out into the orchards and hid in the trees for nearly two hours. Later, they entered another house through the window, according to The Times of Israel.
Rusha continued, "We checked the house and heard the sounds of young children in the safe room. We shot at the safe room."
Adding to this, he said that he and his comrades kept shooting until they heard no more noise.
The interviewer asked, "You stopped hearing the noise, What does that mean?"
"That they died," replied Rusha.
Soon afterwards, Israeli security forces arrived and Abu Rusha and his comrades turned themselves in following another shootout, reported The Times of Israel.
When asked about whether killing children is permitted in Islam, Abu Rusha said, "No."
"What did the Prophet Mohammed say regarding this?," the interviewer asked.
"Children are not involved," he replied.
At the end, the interviewer asked him, "Would your mother and father be proud of these actions?"
To which, he said, "They don't know I'm part of Hamas. If my father sees me, he will shoot me. He will kill me because of those things (I did)."
Nearly 3,000 Hamas terrorists on October 7, burst across the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea, and killed some 1,400 people, taking at least 245 hostages of all ages under their cover as they attacked by thousands of rocket fire at Israeli towns and cities, according to The Times of Israel.
Moreover, the majority of those killed by Hamas terrorists were civilians, including babies, children, and the elderly. Entire families were executed in their homes.