Son of Hamas founder urges Israel to 'target terror group’s leaders for assassination'

The son of Hamas founder Hassan Yousef urged Israel to take down Hamas militants despite the announcement of a ceasefire in the Israel- Palestine conflict between the forces in the Gaza Strip on Friday, May 21. Hassan's son, Mosab Hassan Yousef urged the Israeli forces to Hamas leaders for assassination.

In fact, Mosab Hassan Yousef deduced that killing Hamas leaders could teach the terror organisation a long-lasting lesson. Unrest sparked in July 2019 when another Hassan's son (youngest) Suheib Hassan Yousef in an interview with Israeli TV, denounced the deeds of Hamas militants and referred to it as a terrorist cartel which caused huge anger among Hamas members who described him as a traitor while other Hamas militants affiliated zones claimed that he was working with the Israeli Mossad (the national intelligence agency of Israel) which he completely denies.

“Assassinating Hamas leadership will not destroy Hamas, but it will teach them a lesson and hold them accountable,” Mosab Hassan Yousef told The Post in a phone interview. “Next time, before you get civilians on both sides involved in a bloodbath, you need to think 1,000 times. This is my personal suggestion.”

'The Green Prince'

Mosab Yousef was born in the West Bank city of Ramallah. He was conditioned by Hamas founder Hassan Yousef to be a figurehead in the war-torn country. In 1997, Mosab secretly collaborated with Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet. Considered one of the most valuable intelligence assets, he came to be known as “The Green Prince” owing to his prominent family background. 

Mosab Yousef claims to have followed the regional developments minutely and attributed the latest round of violence to Hamas itself. The property feud in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood "the ostensible trigger of the current unrest — was just a pretext," he said. He did not hesitate to inform that top Hamas leader like his father likely professed and practised violence in underground bunkers and use the demise of their own people to score propaganda points.

“Hundreds of children have paid the price. These type of people cannot get away with what they did. They should not feel safe for a day,” he said. “Hamas hates Israel more than they love their own children.”

Mosab Yousef turned toward Christianity and even associated with political asylum in the United States. He is a US citizen since 2018 and currently lives in California. 

Another brother, Suheib Yousef, exited Hamas in 2019, informing Israeli media that he was fed up with violence and labelled the group a “racist terrorist organization that is dangerous for the Palestinian people.”

Tensions are afloat as cease-fires in the past between Israel and Hamas have proven fragile. Hamas and Israel have engaged in the ugliest forms of conflict since the Palestinian group was founded in the 1980s. Recent military and forces exchanged were on the account of Hamas firing a barrage of rockets at Jerusalem retaliating to police raids pertaining to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in the Old City of Jerusalem which is also the third holiest Islam sites along with the scheduled evictions of several Palestinians from their homes.

Even with temporary suspension of the gruesome exchanges, the underlying causes of the conflict remain. Land rights feud in Jerusalem and the West Bank, while religious tensions in the Old City of Jerusalem and the absence of a peaceful resolution to the conflicts. The Gaza Strip concludes a disconcerting blockade by Israel and Palestine.