GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Hamas group on Monday slammed many Arab journalists for meeting Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Gantz was interviewed online on Sunday by journalists from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, according to Israel’s Channel 20.

During the Interview, Gantz said that "the normalization deals [between Israel and Arab states] will enhance the fighting against Iran."

The Hamas Spokesperson Hazim Qasim said that "the engagement of Journalists from any Arab country with the [Israeli] war minister is shameful, condemned and denounced."

"Gantz launched an aggression on Gaza and committed massacres against the population there along with completely destroying many neighborhoods," Qasim said.

He added that such meetings affect the Arab and Palestinian narrative and "favor the criminal [Israeli] occupation narrative."

On Sept. 15, the UAE and Bahrain signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel at the White House, ignoring the Palestinian rejection.

Palestinians have decried the normalization agreements as a betrayal of their struggle against the decades-long Israeli occupation for their lands.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara