Hamas terrorist: 'Our mission was simply to kill'

Israel's Shin Bet released footage on Wednesday of a Hamas terrorist describing his actions in the south of Israel during the October 7 massacre.

"The mission was simply to kill," said Hamas operative Omar Abu Rusha. "We weren't supposed to kidnap. Just kill."

He specified: "[We were told] to kill every person we see and come back."

The interviewer asked if he was told to make any distinction between men, women, and children. He said he was not. 

Why did they kill indiscriminately? 

Abu Rusha was then asked what the goal of the attack was and why he was instructed to kill indiscriminately. 

"They told us that all the settlers were soldiers...Kill every single one you see."

"They told you to kill everyone? The women and the children?" asked the interviewer. 

"Yes."

Entering and razing Kfar Aza

Abu Rusha was among the terrorists who pillaged Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

"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 and his crew entered several houses, setting 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."

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."

Abu Rusha reported that his team examined another empty house and moved on to a fifth, which they stayed in for about ninety minutes.

"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."

Then, they went out into the orchards and hid in the trees for nearly two hours. Eventually, they entered another house through the window. 

Kept shooting until they heard no noise 

"We checked the house and heard the sounds of young children in the safe room. We shot at the safe room."

He said that he and his comrades kept shooting until they heard no more noise. 

"You stopped hearing noise," said the interviewer. "What does that mean?"

"That they died."

Soon afterward, Israeli security forces arrived and Abu Rusha and his comrades turned themselves in following another shootout. 

'My parents don't know I'm part of Hamas'

Following Abu Rusha's account, the interviewer asked: "Is killing children permitted in Islam?"

"No," he replied. 

"What did the Prophet Mohammed say regarding this?"

"Children are not involved," said Abu Rusha. 

Finally, the interviewer asked him: "Would your mother and father be proud of these actions?"

"They don't know I'm part of Hamas. If my father sees me, he will shoot me. He will kill me."

"Why?"

"Because of those things [I did]."