[1][2] According to the New York Times, Hamad left Gaza for Lebanon weeks before the Hamas 7 October 2023 attack upon Israel that triggered the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.
[4] In 1982, Hamad joined Hamas, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, by taking an oath of allegiance to one of its founders Issa al-Nashar.
[10] Hamad was editor-in-chief of Hamas weekly publication al-Watan until its closure in February 1996 after repeated pressure and suspensions by the Palestinian Authority.
Hamad subsequently became editor-in-chief of Hamas-affiliated publication al-Risala (The Message) on 1 January 1997, which while critical of the PA, avoided issues considered too incendiary.
[11] As editor of al-Risala, Hamad was imprisoned multiple times for publishing articles critical to the reputation of the PA, particularly its prison system.
[6] In August 2006, he wrote an article for Al Ayyam, a Palestinian daily newspaper, stating that "Gaza is suffering under the yoke of anarchy and the swords of thugs", and "[i]t is strange that, when a big effort is taken to reopen Rafah crossing to ease the suffering of the people, you see others who go to shell rockets towards the crossing.
"[19] On 24 August 2024, Hamad said that the 7 October attacks successfully disrupted Arab–Israeli normalization and led to increased recognition of Palestinian statehood.
"[20] For many years, Hamad maintained an amicable back channel dialogue with Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin, which came to an end after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.