The logo of the Palestinian Fatah movement includes the territory that is now Israel. Image: Palestinian Media Watch.

i24 News – In an interview given last week to the Emirati Al Mashhad Media, Mohammed a-Tus, a former Fatah militant from Bethlehem, criticized the October 7 attack and called for the prioritization of the diplomatic route over armed actions against Israel.

A-Tus, who spent four decades in Israeli prisons for his participation in several attacks in the 1980s, spoke on Tuesday from Egypt, where he was deported after his release as part of the hostage exchange agreement.

“I tell my grandchildren not to carry out military actions against Israel,” he said. “At this stage, we must focus on diplomatic actions rather than military ones.”

Referring to the Hamas attack of October 7 that indirectly led to his release, a-Tus was particularly critical, even though the interviewer attributed armed violence as what ultimately got him released.

“The price is very high, we will not accept that the price of our liberation is a drop of a Palestinian child’s blood,” he said.

The former prisoner also shared his experience of the October 7 attack from his cell: “We turned on the television and saw alerts asking Israelis to go to shelters. We understood that something major was happening.”

“The next day, the attitude towards us changed 180 degrees,” he continued. “They removed the televisions and radios, informing us that we were in a state of war. Those with experience understood that the response would be harsh.”

While maintaining a certain distance from Hamas, a-Tus highlighted the ties that unite the various Palestinian factions. “Hamas members are brothers of the homeland, of the shared path and of the future,” he said.

That being said, he warned against continued armed resistance. “Any leader who contemplates undertaking a major action must know the price to pay for what he wants to achieve and if the goal justifies the sacrifices,” he concluded.