Released Palestinian terrorist calls on grandchildren ‘not to follow the path of resistance’

A veteran Palestinian prisoner released in the second phase of the deal, Muhammad al-Tus, probably surprised the Hamas leadership when interviewed on Arab media. 

Al-Tus was asked to give his views on the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre during interviews with Arab media in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The 69-year-old from Bethlehem, who has been in prison since 1985 and served 40 years in an Israeli prison, is considered the oldest Palestinian prisoner released in the deal. He was deported to Egypt upon his release last week. 

In an interview with the UAE network Al-Mashhad, he described his hope that he would eventually be released from prison. 

Speaking to Al-Mashhad, al-Tus said that since his arrest in 1985, “I had full conviction and absolute belief that the day will come when I will be liberated from the grip of the occupation and its prisons.” 

However, al-Tus also expressed regret over the cost of the war on Palestinian lives. 

"If I knew the price of my freedom, I would have stayed in prison. We will not accept that the price of our release from prison will be a single drop of blood from a Palestinian child. Every leader, whether Palestinian or non-Palestinian, when he thinks of carrying out a major attack, must know the price he wants to pay in return for achieving the goal he wants to reach."

Al-Tus also said he is warning his grandchildren not to participate in terror attacks against Israel. 

"Today I advise my grandchildren not to follow the path of terror attacks and resistance. At this stage, it is necessary not to go to military activity, but to political activity," he said yesterday in an interview with the Saudi Al-Arabiya network. "We do not want our freedom to be at the expense of our children's lives." 

Al-Tus also confirmed having met with Fatah party terrorist Marwan Barghouti in prison. 

"I met Marwan Barghouti more than once, the last of which was two years ago. He was in good condition,” al-Tus said. 

Hamas has requested the release of Barghouti, however, Israel has not agreed to release the terror group leader, recognizing that he is a figure capable of bringing Hamas and Fatah into greater unity, which puts Israel at risk. 

Al-Tus described the moment in prison when he saw the descriptions of Israeli civilians and soldiers being taken prisoner. 

“We realized that something big was happening. The next day, the attitude towards us changed 180 degrees,” al-Tus stated. “We saw soldiers on TV saying that they had been captured and we understood what had happened outside the prison in the Gaza enclave. There were mixed emotions, those who had experience (among the prisoners) understood that the response (from Israel) would be difficult.” 

In another interview, al-Tus said Palestinians should unite around Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, which irritated many Palestinians and Arabs on social media. 

On various social media platforms, there were harsh attacks on al-Tus for not thanking Hamas for bringing about his release. Some users called on him to apologize for his remarks which appeared to condemn the Palestinian resistance. 

"Go back to the Israeli prison if you don't respect the resistance," one user wrote. 

However, al-Tus also acknowledged Hamas' role in the resistance, saying that both Hamas and Fatah have a “common path and future.” 

Al-Tus has been detained since 1985 and belongs to the Fatah movement, which runs the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas. Al-Tus was sentenced to life imprisonment and served 40 consecutive years in an Israeli prison for his role in numerous shooting attacks in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem areas. 

Al-Tus was not released as part of the Oslo Accords' prisoner exchange, making him possibly the oldest Palestinian security prisoner by the time of his release.

However, despite al-Tus' regretful tone, his interview makes clear that he has not given up the idea of creating a Palestinian state, or even of driving out Israelis. He continued to express nationalistic hopes and aspirations, which is common for the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah terror group.

Traditionally, Fatah has been more nationalistic and less linked to the concept of religious jihad.