A New York City Jew, who lives in Israel, and a long time spokesman for Hamas, who was born and bred in Gaza, shared an unlikely partnership for 17 years as they communicated behind the scenes as the Middle East peace process, bubbled in the background.
Gershon Baskin, 67, an Israeli peace activist, and Ghazi Hamad, 59, the now deputy foreign minister for Hamas, who joined the party when it formed in 1987, has communicated with one another since 2006.
Originally, they were put in touch with one another to help secure the release of Israeli soldier in return for 1000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Over the years they maintained a secret backchannel whereby each could share their frustrations with the other side, as well as gaining some insight into what the their sworn enemy was thinking.
But any relationship the pair had was shattered following the October 7 Hamas massacre as Hamad’s views appeared to have hardened as he publicly called for such atrocities to be repeated in the future.
Gershon Baskin, 67, a New York City Jew who lives in Israel was in touch with long-time spokesperson for Hamas for the past 17 years
Ghazi Hamad, 59, the now deputy foreign minister for Hamas, Joined the party when it formed in 1987
‘I think you have lost your mind and you have lost your moral code,’ he texted to Hamad in a message seen by the New York Times.
‘I never want to speak to you again,’ Baskin stated.
Baskin first got to speak with Hamad over the phone and was charmed by his manner: Hamad insisted on speaking Hebrew rather than English or Arabic. ‘I like to speak Hebrew,’ he told him.
Incredibly the communication between the pair survived round after round of violence between Israel and Hamas, and according to the New York Times helped to resolve several of the conflicts.
Even after the massacres of October 7 the pair were still communicating with one another, but after Hamad gave a hardline interview on October 24 Baskin realized he would not be able to speak to him ever again.
The pair were first put in touch when Israel worked to secure the release of a 19-year-old soldier, Gilad Shalit.
Baskin first got to speak with Hamad over the phone in 2006 but their relationship continued for 17 years through secret text messaging between the two
After the October 7 massacre Hamad’s views appeared to harden, advocating for similar acts to occur in the future
It saw Israel invade Gaza, and when Hamas looked to secure a ceasefire they unable to contact Israeli leaders directly. Instead, they used the services of Baskin, a well-known Israeli peace activist.
Over the years, the pair became adept at mediation.
Baskin became familiar with Arab sensibilities, having worked in an Arab village and running a research group that offered solutions to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, occasionally acting as a mediator.
Hamad, meanwhile, was sentenced to five years in an Israeli jail where he also got to know Israelis learning Hebrew and English.
Following his release, Hamad wrote and edited various Hamas run newspapers and had a reputation as a moderate.
Baskin similarly wrote a book entitled ‘The Negotiator’ where he discussed his dealings with Hamas.
It was through the dialogue between Hamad and Baskin that Shalit was able to be released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinians incarcerated in Israel.
‘I am quite sure that if Hamad were a much more senior leader in Hamas, he would move toward eventually recognizing Israel and peace,’ Baskin suggested in his 2013 book.
Ghazi Hamad insisted Israel left them ‘with no option but violence’ and boasted of their slaughter of 1,400 Israelis inside their homes or as they fled a festival ‘destroyed the myth of Israel as a military superpower’
When Hamad then called for the complete annihilation of Israel, it left Baskin with no option: their relationship was over
Over the years their rapport strengthened, occasionally buffeted by waves of violence between Gaza and Israel.
‘Gershon, u r good friend,’ Hamad once texted in the middle of another round of violence. ‘But I’m very sad and upset & sometimes feeling have no words to say.’
Eventually five years after being put in touch with one another Shalit was released in October 2011.
Senior Israeli intelligence officer, David Meiden says the soldier’s release would not have occurred without the years of back-and-forth – and trust – between Baskin and Hamad.
Although the two men continued to stay in touch, they were unsuccessful in negotiating further hostage, swaps, or securing any kind of long-term truce.
It was only when the two discussed what happened following last month’s massacre that Baskin realized something had changed in Hamad, who in the past, had been capable of criticizing the terror group.
Two weeks on from the terror attacks and Hamad appeared to justify the attacks as simply the logical result of years of continued Israeli aggression.
Hamad boasted that the terror group ‘demonstrated that Israel is beatable’ and that the killing of Israelis inside their homes or as they fled the festival ‘destroyed the myth of Israel as a military superpower’.
He dismissed the heartbreaking number of people killed in the Israel-Hamas war – the deadliest and most destructive of the five wars fought by the two sides since 2007 – as a ‘necessary price in blood’.
A man carries the body of a child killed in Israeli air strikes in Khan Yunis, Gaza earlier this month
Above, a group of Israeli soldiers are seen inside the Gaza strip in photos released by the IDF
Hamad claimed that ‘everything [Hamas] do is justifiable’, declaring that ‘we are the victims’ as he vowed to remove Israel from what he claimed is Palestinian land.
He declared that the terror group is ready to pay the ultimate price, saying ‘we are a nation of martyrs, and we are proud to sacrifice martyrs’.
He bragged that the slaughter of 1,400 Israelis was a ‘victory’ for Hamas.
‘October 7 was a victory: we have destroyed the myth of Israel as a military superpower,’ Hamad said.
‘There are counties willing to enter into security pacts with Israel because they are convinced it will be able to face Iran or other threats,’ he continued.
‘Instead, Hamas has demonstrated that Israel is beatable. We couldn’t do it for free, but we are ready to pay again.’
In an another interview Hamad said that ‘we need more’ from allies, including Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It was through the dialogue between Hamad and Baskin that Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was able to be released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinians incarcerated in Israel. Pictured left, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense minster Ehud Barak. Right, his father Noam Schalit
Eventually, five years after being put in touch with one another, Baskin and Hamad worked to secure the release of Gilad Shalit in October 2011
Footage shows IDF destroying tunnels in Beit Hanoun, Gaza
View of a burnt-out area at a destroyed home in Kibbutz Kissufim, southern Israel following the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip
‘Hezbollah now is working against the occupation,’ Hamad said, speaking from Beirut. ‘We appreciate this. But … we need more in order to stop the aggression on Gaza … We expect more.’
He criticized what he said was hypocrisy of the international community, which has widely condemned the killing of Israeli civilians in the initial Hamas attack but, in Hamad’s view, had given Israel a ‘license to kill’ civilians in Gaza in response.
Hamad said that Hamas, which has so far released four of more than 220 hostages after mediation by Egypt and Qatar, was ‘very open’ to discussions for the release of others.
He made no apologies for the high number of civilians killed by Hamas militants in Israel or the soaring civilian death toll in Gaza.
Hamad said that it had brought back the world’s attention to the Palestinian cause and revealed the cracks in Israel’s ironclad facade.
‘There is no space now to talk about peace with Israel or about a two-state solution or to talk about coexistence,’ he said.
Hamad then called for the complete annihilation of Israel leaving Baskin with no option: their relationship was over.
Although there has no been any specific reasons as to whey Hamad suddenly hardened, historian Azzam Tamimi, who knows Hamad said he believes that the Hamas spokesperson may have lost family members and friends in the recent Israeli attacks.
‘Suddenly, he lost family members, he lost many of his friends. Probably that’s the issue,’ Tamimi said.
‘He was really expressing sincere feelings. Nobody should be under the illusion that someone that senior in Hamas is willing to recognize Israel’s right to exist,’ he added.
He may have been shocked by the destruction wrought by the Israeli counter-attack – and maybe, Hamad was never quite as moderate as Baskin wanted to believe.
