Former President George W. Bush just expressed his unequivocal support for Israel and its existential fight against the "cold-blooded killers" of Hamas, according to an exclusive video obtained by Axios.

He also warned that the situation is "going to be ugly for a while" as Israel justifiably exacts vengeance in Gaza for Hamas' murderous surprise terror campaign into Israeli communities on Oct. 7 that claimed more than 1,200 mostly civilian lives but urged Americans and the rest of the world to stand steadfast by Israel's side.

Israel "dealing with cold-blooded killers" in Hamas

During a private event in California on Oct. 10, former President Bush spoke with presidential historian Mark Updegrove and was asked for his thoughts on the Hamas terror attacks against Israel days earlier and replied, "My thoughts were that we need to support Israel, no ands, ifs, or buts."

"This was an unprovoked attack by terrorist people willing to kill innocent people to achieve an objective," he continued. Calling Hamas a "political organization" that doesn't truly represent the Palestinian people, he noted, "Don't be surprised if Israel takes whatever actions necessary to defend herself. And it's going to be ugly for a while. But, uh, it's tough. It's tough. And I hope, I'm pretty confident the United States will stand squarely with Israel."

Bush took stock of Israel's mobilization of 300,000 military reservists ahead of a likely imminent invasion of Gaza under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said of Hamas, "You're dealing with cold-blooded killers. And you can make all kinds of excuses why they are but they are, and [Netanyahu's] job is to protect his -- protect his country. And, anyway, we'll find out what he's made out of."

On Iran's likely involvement in Hamas attacks

Asked about the extent of Iran's involvement in the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, former President Bush acknowledged, "I don't know -- I don't have, I don't get the intelligence anymore," but went on to assert, "Their stated objective is the destruction of Israel."

"That's what the leaders say, and in this world, you got to take what they say seriously," he said. "And, uh, Iran's been pretty good at using surrogate terrorist groups -- Hezbollah being the key one, of course -- and therefore, the idea of using somebody else to achieve their objective doesn't surprise me."

Bush referred to himself as "kind of a hardliner on all this stuff" and added, "I never thought we should try to accommodate Iran -- any way, shape, or form. I always felt the objective ought to be to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon to prevent a cataclysmic event in the Middle East. And these are the kind of people that if you show softness they will take advantage of it."

"One side is guilty, and it's not Israel"

Former President Bush reiterated his belief that America "needs to stand squarely" alongside Israel and praised the Biden administration for having "started off on the right foot" in that regard with a "pretty bold statement" of support for Israel that would undoubtedly "take some heat" from those with "isolationist tendencies" in both the Democratic and Republica parties.

Asked for his thoughts on the "immediate future" for Israel, he replied, "Immediate future doesn't look very bright, particularly if you're on the Hamas side." He proceeded to admit that things would be "chaotic" for a little while and cautioned that a "weariness" of the war's atrocities would eventually compel some voices to demand negotiations for peace that, in his view, were unlikely and "not an option."

"But it's not going to take long for -- 'This has gone on too long. Surely there's a way to settle this through negotiations. Both sides are guilty,'" Bush added. "My view is -- one side is guilty, and it's not Israel."

Formal condemnation statement immediately following "heinous terrorist attacks"

Those remarks from former President Bush echoed the sentiment of a statement of condemnation issued by his George W. Bush Institute on the day of the horrific Hamas terror attacks in Israel, in which the organization stated that it "strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attacks on Israel that claimed scores of innocent civilians."

"We urge the United States and our allies to stand unequivocally with Israel, its government and people, and support Israel’s right to defend itself against these threats," the Institute added. "Attacks on free and democratic states anywhere are attacks on all of us, whether in Israel, Ukraine, or elsewhere."