Hamas faces backlash in gaza after top official dismisses war death toll as ‘price that must be paid’

A fat cat senior Hamas official is facing backlash within Gaza after he claimed the growing Palestinian death toll is nothing more than “material calculations” for the terror group. In an

interview that has now gone viral inside the enclave, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, 58, said the latest estimates of more than 53,000 dead in Gaza are not a concern for his group, the

Times of Israel reported. “The martyrs [killed in the war] — the wombs of Gaza’s women will give birth to twice as many,” he proclaimed. “This is the price that must be paid. “If we thought

in material terms, we would not be able to hold onto our land,” Zuhri added. Abu Zuhri made the comments about the conditions in Gaza while living 1,100 miles away in Qatar. The spokesman’s

comments echo those of slain Hamas chief and Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar, whose leaked messages revealed that he thought of the civilian casualties in Gaza as “necessary sacrifices.”

EXPLORE MORE Hamas’ casualty estimates, made by the health ministry, do not differentiate between terrorists and civilians. While Zuhri’s remarks were first recorded on March 30 for Libyan

TV, the clip has recently gained traction in Gaza as Palestinians continue publicly protesting Hamas’ rule of Gaza and refusal to disarm and end the war with Israel. The video even triggered

dozens of residents to march around the southern city of Khan Younis on Monday as they slammed Zuhri as a “disgrace.” “A man outside the Strip says that everyone who was killed can simply

be replaced. This is someone deluded beyond reason — he’s not one of us,” one Palestinian man posted himself saying on social media. “Hamas leadership says — so what if 60,000 people died?”

another Gaza resident said, referring to the official number that includes those who are presumed dead and buried in the rubble of the ruined enclave. “Abu Zuhri, you’re speaking from

outside the Strip. Your children are outside the Strip. You ignite this war, and we are the fuel?!” the outraged resident added. The outrage comes as Israel stepped up its ground operation

in Gaza on Sunday, with a goal of taking complete control of the entire Palestinian enclave to eliminate Hamas. The intense military incursion included heavy bombardments across the Strip,

with the latest strikes killing more than 55 people, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.