Palestinian prisoner released by Israel took aim at Hamas: ‘We do not want our freedom to be achieved at the cost of our children's lives’

Mohammed al-Tous (69), the oldest Palestinian prisoner released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, took aim at the terror group after regaining his freedom.

Speaking to Emirati media outlet Al Mashhad, Al-Tous, who spent 40 years imprisoned in Israel for engaging in terrorist activities, criticized the Oct. 7 massacre.

"If I had known what the price of my freedom would be, I would have stayed in prison. We do not accept that the cost of our release should be a single drop of blood of a Palestinian child," Al-Tous said.

"Any leader, whether Palestinian or not, when he plans to carry out a major attack, must know what price he is willing to pay to achieve his goal," added Al-Tous, who, as stipulated in the agreement, was expelled to Egypt.

‘Today I advise my grandchildren not to follow the path of attacks and resistance’

In statements made to the Saudi media Al Arabiya on Thursday, he said: "Today I advise my grandchildren not to follow the path of attacks and resistance". He added: "We do not want our freedom to be achieved at the cost of our children's lives."

Speaking to another Arab media outlet, Al-Tous, a native of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, also called for support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas' main political rival.

Controversy on social media

Israeli media outlet Ynet indicated that Al-Tous' statements generated controversy on social media. Some users demanded that he apologize and others called on him to return to prison in Israel.

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

Ynet indicated that Al-Tous, who belongs to the Fatah movement, whose leader Mahmoud Abbas rules the West Bank, had been imprisoned since 1985 and was sentenced to life in prison. He served 40 consecutive years in prison in Israel after forming the first cell within the organization that carried out multiple terrorist attacks with shootings in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem areas.