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Naguib Sawiris says Palestinians gained nothing from October 7
Egyptian American billionaire Naguib Sawiris, chairman of Orascom Investment Holding, told FRANCE 24 three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that Palestinians gained nothing from October 7 but destruction.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 8, 2026
• 2 Min Read
A brutal verdict on the attacks
Speaking to FRANCE 24 three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, Naguib Sawiris, the Egyptian American chairman of Orascom Investment Holding, delivered a stark verdict on the naguib sawiris october 7 question. He called the attacks a horrible act of terrorism and asked what Palestine or the Palestinians had gained from them.
"What did Palestine or the Palestinians gain from October 7? Nothing. Only destruction."
Fears of an expansionist Israel
Sawiris said he fears "a government in Israel that is expansionist", and he described Israeli settlers as "crazy", according to the interview.
A meltdown already under way
Turning to the war involving Iran, Israel and the United States, Sawiris argued that a global economic meltdown is no longer a risk but a present reality. The Iran war economic fallout, in his view, is no longer a forecast.
"It's not about fear. It's happening."
He blamed Iran, which he said has become a destabilising power, but he also blamed Israel and the US for a war he said could have been avoided.
Business decisions and a meeting in Damascus
Despite the regional conflict, his own response has been to invest, not withdraw:
- •He has doubled his investment in the United Arab Emirates, with a message for Tehran: "You're not going to scare us."
- •His telecom assets in Syria were seized under the Assad regime; he recently met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and said he does not seek compensation.
- •Asked about meeting a former jihadist as a Christian from a Coptic Orthodox family, he said: "It shows you that even the extremes can meet."
No further steps were named in the interview; his doubled UAE investment stands despite the conflict.
