Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’s top leadership body, in an interview with the New York Times, explained that the terror organization's October 7th surprise attack and massacre in southern Israel was necessary to “change the entire equation and not just have a clash.”
Al-Hayya, who is currently in Doha, Qatar, with the rest of Hamas's high-ranking leadership, claimed that it "succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region is experiencing calm."
Al-Hayya explained: “What could change the equation was a great act, and without a doubt, it was known that the reaction to this great act would be big.” However, he added, “We had to tell people that the Palestinian cause would not die.”
The Hamas leader said that his organization's goal is "not to run Gaza and to bring it water and electricity and such," but rather, "Hamas, the Qassam (Brigades), and the resistance woke the world up from its deep sleep and showed that this issue must remain on the table.”
“This battle was not because we wanted fuel or laborers,” he added. “It did not seek to improve the situation in Gaza. This battle is to completely overthrow the situation.”