Son of founding Hamas leader issues stark warning: 'A lot more dangerous' than ISIS
Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose father is a founding Hamas leader, joins "FOX & Friends" to discuss his warning of the terrorist group and how Israel can fight back against it.
The son of a Hamas founder said the terrorist group is even more dangerous than ISIS on Monday, adding that the mainstream media is afraid to call it a genocidal religious movement for fear of igniting a full-on religious war.
"It's their own comparison to say Hamas and ISIS because I think Hamas is a lot more dangerous," Mosab Hassan Yousef told "FOX & Friends."
"Look at the division and the global confusion because of Hamas. They brought us to our knees somehow by their brutality and their barbarism. Brutality is even understating Hamas' acts. Hamas is a religious movement, and they are a raging religious movement against Israel. The mainstream media cannot say this because they are afraid to ignite a religious war. And what I say, it already is. They want to annihilate the Jewish people because they are Jewish people, because they are a Jewish state."
Yousef, who renounced the terrorist group and became an informant for Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet, in the 1990s, said Hamas can't be negotiated with since it isn't a national or political movement.
"They are driven by dark hatred toward a race, toward a nation," he said.
Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose father is a Hamas leader, became an informant against the group in the 1990s. (Getty / File | "FOX & Friends" screengrab)
ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, has been heavily reduced in influence since it carved out territorial control in parts of Syria and Iraq in the 2010s. It became known for its terrorist acts and horrific human rights abuses against people under its domain.
Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip after Israel's withdrawal from the area in the 2000s and has ruled the territory since being elected to power in 2006. Israel declared war on Hamas this month after the Palestinian terror group launched a surprise attack in southern Israel, invading and going on a killing rampage against Jewish civilians.
Hamas has taken upward of 200 hostages back to Gaza, the impoverished strip it governs that borders Israel and Egypt, and the conflict has spawned global attention.
Yousef said Hamas' ability to withstand any ground invasion from the Israelis would predicate in part on its known practice of using "human shields."
"They have many tunnels. They used the funds and the aid that came to Gaza, they used it to dig tunnels," he said. "It's very hard to deal with this style of suicidal group of fighters who basically don't appreciate life. They actually [are] looking forward to death."
He added that it is possible to destroy Hamas, but it would begin with the destruction of its infrastructure in addition to gathering intelligence and enforcing a suffocating siege.
Smoke is shown along the Gaza-Israel border after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2023)
The Israel Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, established a new unit known as NILI, an acronym in Hebrew for "The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie," according to the Jerusalem Post.
The new unit, which will operate separately from other command and control units focused on taking out cells and high-ranking Hamas officials, is tasked with tracking down and eliminating every person who played a role in the atrocities, according to the report.
It will specifically target members of a special Hamas commando unit within the terror organization's Nukhba wing. which Israel believes carried out the attacks.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
FOX News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.