Former President Obama condemned Hamas’ actions against the State of Israel, but also expressed sympathy for the innocent civilians of Gaza.

Speaking on the Pod Save America podcast about the Middle East conflict, the former president suggested the war was a “moral settlement for all of us.”

“If you want to solve the problem, you have to admit the whole truth,” the president said.

“And then we have to admit that no one has clean hands, that we are all complicit to a certain extent,” continued the former president.

The current conflict between Israel and Hamas began after the terrorist group attacked Israel in the early hours of October 7, killing more than 1,400 people.

Former President Obama said “no one has clean hands” in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel has now responded with a series of airstrikes as well as a ground offensive.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 9,200 Palestinians have been killed.

The former president clearly explained how he was able to see the conflict from both sides.

“What Hamas did is horrible and there is no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation and what is happening to the Palestinians is unbearable,” Obama continued.

“All of this is taking place against the backdrop of decades of failure to achieve lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

“I look at this and think, ‘What could I have done during my presidency to get things done?’ as hard as I tried. I have the scars to prove it.

On Friday, Obama also spoke at the Obama Foundation’s Forum for Democracy in Chicago, where he commented on the war between Israel and Hamas.

Civil defense teams and residents launch search and rescue operation around destroyed buildings after Israeli attacks in Gaza (file photo)

An aerial view of the bomb crater after an Israeli airstrike hitting a Palestinian family as search and rescue efforts for people under the rubble continue in Khan Yunis, Gaza, October 16.

“A peace based on genuine security for Israel, the recognition of its right to exist and a peace based on the end of the occupation and the creation of a viable state and self-determination for the Palestinian people.”

“Now, I admit, it is impossible to be impartial in the face of this carnage,” Obama continued. “It’s hard to have hope. The images of grieving families and bodies pulled from the rubble impose a moral judgment on us all.

Obama said he would like to see people “talk to people, including people you don’t agree with.” If you really want to change that…you have to figure out how to talk to someone on the other side, listen to them, and understand what they’re talking about without dismissing them.

During his presidency, Obama often supported Israel’s right to self-defense at the start of conflicts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, but quickly called for Israeli restraint once Palestinian casualties mounted following the airstrikes. Pictured is Obama meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in 2010.

The Obama administration sought, but ultimately failed to broker, a peace deal in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Obama and Netanyahu photographed in March 2012 in Washington

Gaza, a 40km-long strip of land home to 2.3 million people, has been politically ruled since 2007 by Hamas, an Iran-backed Islamist group, but faces a blockade from Israel.

The Obama administration sought, but ultimately failed to broker, a peace deal in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Since taking office in early 2021, Biden has not attempted to resume long-stalled negotiations, saying leaders on both sides were too intransigent and the climate was not favorable.

Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a rocky relationship while Obama was in office, including when the Obama administration was negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran.

Biden, as Obama’s vice president, often played the role of mediator between the two men. The couple is pictured in March 2010

Biden, as Obama’s vice president, often played the role of mediator between the two men.

President Biden has strongly supported Israel in the war against Hamas and provided significant military aid.

But the administration has recently called for a humanitarian pause and repeatedly warned against inflicting disproportionate harm on Palestinian civilians.

Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, led an administration closely aligned with Israel.

Trump initially criticized Netanyahu following the Hamas attack, saying he was “unprepared” and even went so far as to congratulate Hezbollah, a regional militant group across the border. Lebanese border, as being “very intelligent”. Trump later retracted his comments.