Sen. John Fetterman slammed the New York Times on Tuesday for promoting Hamas propaganda after the newspaper published an interview with Khaled Meshal, a senior official of the terrorist organization. The article, headlined “Hamas is surviving war in Israel. Now it hopes to thrive in Gaza again,” featured insights from a two-hour interview with Meshal in Doha, Qatar.

The Times reported Meshal’s claim that Hamas “is winning the war and will play a decisive role in Gaza’s future,” despite Israel’s efforts to eliminate the group responsible for the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people. Meshal said that Hamas was not in a rush for a ceasefire and would not relinquish its demands for an end to the war and Israeli withdrawal.

Fetterman took to social media to rebuke the Times for giving a platform to one of Hamas’ most senior leaders. “No idea why NYT would platform this propaganda from a terrorist. Undoubtedly, Israel will hold him accountable,” Fetterman wrote on X. “Hamas is no different than WWII Nazis and I fully support Israel’s commitment to neutralize them.”

The Times article highlighted that the U.S. has accused Meshal and other Hamas leaders of orchestrating the October 7 attacks. Despite this, the report included Meshal’s assertion that Hamas “has the upper hand” and has brought Israel into “a state of attrition.”

Meshal also suggested that President Joe Biden’s shifting stance—from supporting Hamas’ destruction to advocating for a ceasefire—indicated a “practical recognition” of the group. He dismissed alternatives proposed by Israel and the U.S. for administering Gaza without Hamas, claiming that such proposals were unrealistic.

The article acknowledged that many in Gaza have criticized Hamas for the October 7 massacre, which ignited a full-scale war. However, Meshal dismissed these critics, calling them a minority, and defended the group’s actions, saying the destruction caused was a necessary “price” for Palestinian freedom. “As a Palestinian, my responsibility is to fight and resist until liberation,” Meshal told the Times.

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