Posted on 08/22/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Musab Hassan Yousuf, once known as the “Green Prince,” is the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousuf. After years inside the movement, he broke away, worked with the Shin Bet as an informant, and ultimately defected to the West. Today, he speaks openly about the ideology of Hamas, the danger of Palestinian propaganda, and his conviction that Israel’s survival is essential to humanity.
In a wide-ranging conversation at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs, where he is a visiting fellow, Yousuf spoke with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about the war in Gaza, the fate of hostages, Hamas’ strategies, and his personal journey away from extremism.
On the possibility of a ceasefire or agreement with Hamas, Yousuf was unequivocal.
“First of all, there is no deal with the devil, because how can you find common ground with people who want to kill, kidnap, and do savage things? This is Hamas and, in general, the Palestinian mindset—the death cult that justifies suicide bombing, kidnapping toddlers, raping,” he said.
He argued that partial deals on the release of hostages would only prolong Hamas’ rule:
“If we take partial deals now, Hamas is going to stay in power for the next six months or the next year. Israel does not have the time. The humanitarian crisis will only deepen, and Israel will be blamed. Nobody is blaming Hamas for the humanitarian crisis. Hamas wants partial deals because they want to prolong the war and push Israel to submit to global pressure,” he warned.
Instead, Yousuf said, real victory requires first removing Hamas from power, explaining, “If we bring the hostages and remove Hamas from power, this is a victory by itself. Let’s start by removing them from power. If you want to eradicate a group like this, it doesn’t happen within a certain time frame. The first and most important step is to cut their tree trunk.”
Asked whether Hamas’ ambitions could ever be destroyed, Yousuf drew a comparison with World War II.
“We can eradicate it for the next 50 or 100 years. Remember the Nazis—they had ambitions to dominate the globe. Millions died, and in the end, their ideology disappeared with a dead man. Now we have a new movement of Nazis that claim to be Palestinians. Very similar scenario,” he said.
He also accused Hamas of manipulating humanitarian aid for its own fighters: “Hamas wants to take the aid because this is how they pay their members—not with money but with rice and food. It’s in their interest to starve the non-Hamas Gazans to gain global sympathy.”
This, he stressed, was no accident but a longstanding tactic: “Sacrificing civilians has been a consistent Palestinian strategy. They double down when terrorism is rewarded.”
Yousuf warned that internal dissent within Israel only fuels Hamas. “Of course, protests motivate Hamas. Their goal is to divide Israeli society, force the government to collapse, and delay the mission. If we surrender to their demands and Hamas stays in power, the consequences of defeat will be deadly. This would ignite bloodlust everywhere and put Jews worldwide at risk.”
The October 7th attacks, he said, revealed Hamas’ true nature.
“There were rapes, kidnappings, beheadings. At some point, someone killed a Jew and ate his liver. This tribal vengeance from a 7th century mentality was projected on October 7th. And in my humble opinion, all those who claim to be Palestinians agree with this barbarism. They see it as resistance,” he explained.
Yousuf recalled how his personal journey began by rejecting violence even as a child. “In my family, violence against Muslims was not accepted, but violence against non-Muslims was okay. I rejected that, even knowing what I would face.”
Today, he says, life outside Israel has become impossible for him.
He shared, “I could have returned ten years ago, but now I feel I have no other choice. There are not many places left where I can coexist. To be anti-Palestinian narrative today means you are not welcome anywhere. Within days, people recognize you, and you are canceled. The Jewish people are starting to feel this too, as Palestinian propaganda spreads and hatred of Jews becomes legitimized.”
Yousuf believes this should push Jews worldwide to strengthen Israel: “Sooner or later, millions of Jews will come to the same realization. Why invest your money and intelligence somewhere else? Bring it here. Invest in this country, together.”
For him, unity is now an existential necessity, because “the global enemy is counting on one thing: division. This is exactly what Hamas identified before October 7th. This is why they chose that time and why they took hostages. Unity must be the priority.”
Despite his bleak assessment of global threats, Yousuf said Israel remains a beacon.
“Israel is the safest country in the world, with the strongest intelligence and the strongest army. Maybe not the resources of superpowers, but Israel is a superpower. In chaos, this is an independent country. The Jewish people will not eat each other for survival—but I cannot say the same about other nations that now want to lecture us on morality.”
He went further, framing Israel as essential to humanity itself: “Israel is the blueprint, a pillar of human evolution. By rejecting that, humanity risks collapse. We are talking about 5,000 years of survival and contribution to life. Remove that pillar, and the entire structure is at risk. This is not about hope—it is about truth.”
Asked if he had ever considered converting to Judaism, Yousuf replied: “No, I am not interested in following religion. But I appreciate Judaism, its discipline, its moral compass, its contribution to humanity. I respect Israel as a democracy, and I see no difference between myself and the Jewish people. What you are going through now, I have been through already. We don’t need to be the same to come to the same understanding. Originally, we are the same.”
Despite all he has seen, Yousuf insists he has not lost faith. “It’s very dark right now. I’d be lying if I said I was optimistic. But I haven’t lost faith in humanity, or in existence. The real danger is that the Gaza model spreads to Europe or the U.S. - bringing sick indoctrination into the fabric of societies. That is a threat to everyone.”