Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Palestinian civilians cannot be trusted following Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.

Hamas, a militant group that rules part of the Gaza Strip, launched an attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages. About 120 hostages remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead, according to Israeli officials.

In a prolonged attack on Gaza that sparked a wave of condemnation and criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in response, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Haley dismissed criticism of Netanyahu and Israel in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that aired Thursday, saying that “Americans should have no say in who is the leader of Israel” and “should simply support Israel regardless of who is the leader” before blaming Palestinian civilians for the Oct. 7 attack.

Former U.N. Ambassador and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is pictured speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. Haley suggested in a CNN interview that aired Thursday that Palestinians…


Chip Somodevilla

“Three thousand Hamas members came in, took over their neighborhood, the concert venue, slaughtered people, robbed them, burned them alive, took people hostage,” Haley said. “You know who joined them? Thousands of Palestinian citizens. Nobody talks about that.”

“They looted, they murdered, they helped. And in many cases, and I’ve spoken to survivors of the hostage-taking, they took them back and sold them to Hamas,” she continued. “So why would Netanyahu or anyone in Israel trust Hamas or the Palestinians?”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.