Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas abroad, expressed satisfaction with the internal debate that has been sparked in Israel following the temporary ceasefire in Gaza, about the official goal of the war which is to eliminate Hamas.
In remarks at a conference, Mashaal listed the factors that were behind Hamas' decision to attack Israel on October 7, including Israeli policy towards Al-Aqsa Mosque, the demolition of houses in Judea and Samaria, and the plan promoted by the "extremist Israeli ministers" to "Judaize" Jerusalem and deport Palestinian Arabs.
Mashaal pointed out that the Hamas attack brought back the focus on the “Palestinian problem” in its essence, which is the “campaign against the occupation”, as he put it.
The Hamas attack, he claimed, caused Israel a moral, military and intelligence defeat and this defeat will be completed soon, as it proved that Israel can be defeated and it sharpened the “just” Palestinian Arab demands in the international arena.
In this context, Mashaal said that Western diplomats are discussing the question of how Gaza will look after the era of Hamas, and advised them not to waste time on this but to rather discuss the question of the future of the region after the era of Israel.
Mashaal expressed firm opposition to any participation of international or Arab forces in the management of Gaza, stressing that all these plans will be thwarted by the Al-Qassam Brigades and other organizations.