In a contentious CNN interview that abruptly ended, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan repeatedly deflected questions about the terror group's responsibility for Palestinian deaths in Gaza, accusing the interviewer of bias and supporting Israeli actions.
CNN host Jim Sciutto began the interview by asking if Hamas regretted the October 7 terror attacks. Hamdan immediately pivoted, accusing Sciutto of "giving the Israelis the right to kill Palestinians" and blaming Israel for 76 years of Palestinian deaths, as reported by The Times of Israel.
When pressed about Hamas's use of civilian infrastructure for military purposes and human shields, Hamdan deflected again, claiming Sciutto had only seen the conflict through "Israeli eyes." Sciutto refuted this, stating he had covered conflicts in the region in 2008 and 2014.
Throughout the interview, Hamdan made several controversial claims:
1. He accused Sciutto of treating Palestinian deaths as if "they were nothing"
2. He falsely stated that Hamas doesn't operate in the West Bank, despite evidence to the contrary
3. He repeatedly accused Sciutto of bias and supporting Israeli actions
Sciutto attempted to maintain focus on the central question: whether Hamas accepts any responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza. However, Hamdan continued to evade the question, eventually accusing Sciutto of only wanting to listen to himself and the Israelis.
The interview came to an abrupt end when Hamdan, after another accusation of bias, terminated the conversation without answering any of Sciutto's questions.