‘The concept of jihad must be stopped,’ says 'Son of Hamas' during Israel visit

The son of a Hamas founding member, Mosab Hassan Yousef, joined an Israeli public diplomacy campaign, the Government Press Office (GPO) in Israel announced on Thursday.

The former Israeli spy, with the code name ‘The Green Prince,’ joined Ofir Gendelman, the Prime Minister’s Arabic Media Spokesperson for an exclusive interview, before touring the Israeli southern border communities near Gaza that were devastated during the Oct. 7 massacre, led by Hamas.

“In the mosques, the schools, the streets, and at home, everywhere you go, there is hatred of Israel and of the Jewish people,” Yousef said about his upbringing.

The outspoken former Hamas operative told Gendelman about his childhood as the son of one of the founders of Hamas, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who still serves in a senior position in the terror group’s West Bank branch.

On Oct. 19, Israeli forces arrested Yousef’s father once again, as part of the ongoing strategic operation to eliminate senior Hamas officials in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

Yousef also spoke about his time as a student in UNRWA schools in Judea and Samaria and ow he and his classmates were taught to hate Israel and the Jews.

When asked about the Hamas’ founding charter, which calls for the killing of Jews worldwide and not just in Israel, he stated: “The people that wrote the Hamas Covenant are a bunch of lunatics. They aren't fit to be part of any human society."

“The Arab world needs to pay attention to the dangers within,” Yousef said warning about the effects that the Israel-Hamas war is having on the wider region.

“Hamas does not care about people. In effect, they are sacrificing the lives of children and non-combatants in order to achieve cheap political goals.”

“The concept of jihad must be stopped, and it must be stopped now,” he stated.

Yousef was also accompanied by IDF Arabic Spokesperson Lt.-Col. Avichay Adraee during a tour of the Western Negev and the kibbutzim that were destroyed during the Oct. 7 invasion, as well as the site of the Nova musical festival near Kibbutz Re’im.

After growing up as a Hamas ‘prince’ and heir apparent to his father, Yousef left Islam and found his faith in Jesus. After becoming a Christian, Yousef became an informant for the Israeli domestic intelligence service Shin Bet.

His work helped to expose and prevent several Hamas terrorist attacks. He shared his remarkable personal testimony in the bestselling book, "Son of Hamas" in 2010, and now lives in the United States.