‘Nobody wants this violence’: Palestinian American speaks out about war between Israel and Hamas terrorists

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Since the war between Israel and Hamas terrorists began, we have heard from Israeli citizens and Israeli Americans on the conflict.

On Oct. 11, we spoke with a Palestinian American man from Chandler about what's happening currently.

"I believe this escalated more than it should have, and I’m deeply concerned for both parties," said Dr. Ghannam Ghannam.

Palestinian American talks about Israel-Hamas war

As war between Israel and Hamas terrorists continue following a bloody weekend attack, we are hearing from Palestinian Americans about the current situation, and their opinions on the conflict. FOX 10's Marissa Sarbak reports.

Dr. Ghannam is an American citizen by birth. A neurophysiologist from Chandler, he's also a citizen of the Palestinian territories, and both feel like home. As he watches the war play out on screen, he says he feels for his people and for the Israelis.

In addition, Dr. Ghannam said he wants to make the distinction between Palestinian civilians and the political group responsible for the attack.

"There’s Hamas, and then there’s Fatah," said Dr. Ghannam, referring to two political groups that control the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, respectively. "Hamas would be predominantly the Gaza region, and Fatah would be the northern region, the West Bank. We could relate it to a party, similar to the Republican and Democrat truly, but obviously to a different scale."

The current war is part of a conflict that has been going on for decades, a dispute over land and religion between Israel and the Palestinian territories. Dr. Ghannam said he wants to share the perspective, as well as struggles, of the Palestinian people.

"You’re looking at the Gaza Strip as an open-air prison, truly," sasid Dr. Ghannam. "These are two million citizens that don’t have access to water. They don’t have access to food."

Dr. Ghannam said while he doesn't condone the attack, he wants freedom for Palestine, which has also lost civilians during the conflict.

"Nobody wants this violence," said Dr. Ghannam. "Nobody is asking for it, but they’re put in a spot: like what is there to do? It’s almost as if they would rather fight for freedom than die there."