Mohammed a-Tus, a Fatah terrorist from Bethlehem who was released as part of the hostage deal after decades in Israeli prison, made an unusual remark to the press in Egypt - to where he was deported after his release.
He implicitly criticized Hamas for its attack on Israel on October 7th, recounted the years in prison, and declared: "I tell my grandchildren not to carry out military actions against Israel. At this stage, we need to not go for military actions but diplomatic ones."
In an interview with the Emirati Al Mashhad Media, he was asked about the Hamas attack which ultimately led to his release: "The price is very high, we will not accept that the price of our release is a drop of a Palestinian child's blood."
Regarding the Hamas attack, he added: "Any leader who thinks about carrying out a major action needs to know what price they'll pay for what he wants to achieve and if reaching this goal justifies the sacrifices." According to him, "The people of Hamas are brothers to the homeland and the shared path and future."
The prisoners were updated on what was happening in Israel through television: "We turned on the TV and saw the warnings telling Israelis to go to shelters, and we understood that something big was happening. The next day the attitude towards us changed by 180 degrees, they took away the TVs and radios and told us that we were in a state of war. Those with experience understood that the reaction would be tough."
Mohammed was arrested in 1985 and served 40 years in an Israeli prison after he participated in several shooting attacks in the 80s.