Hamas leader Khaled Mashal urged President Donald Trump to take into account what he said were shifting attitudes within US society toward Israel and the war in Gaza, saying these views should influence American policy. "I am simply calling on the American people and the US administration to judge based on America’s interests, not Israel’s," Mashal said.
In a wide-ranging interview published by the far-left outlet Drop Site News, Mashal said the US administration should evaluate the situation based on what he described as American interests, rather than what he characterized as automatic alignment with Israeli positions. He pointed to what he claimed was growing criticism of Israel among segments of the American public, particularly younger Americans. Referring to President Trump, Mashal said that this shift created "an opportunity for stability" if Washington was willing to reassess its approach.
Mashal said Hamas believes there is an opening to engage Washington if the US president is willing to reassess longstanding approaches to Israel. He stated that Hamas is prepared to deal with the United States if it adopts what he described as a fairer and more pragmatic framework. "If they look at us even for a moment in a fair and impartial way," he said, "they will see that the Palestinian people are oppressed under occupation."
In the interview, Mashal rejected calls for the disarmament of Hamas, saying such demands were unacceptable. "We do not want to clash with anyone or confront anyone," he said, "but we will not accept being forcibly disarmed." He said that weapons are, in his view, "tied to Palestinian self-defense under occupation," and outlined proposals he said Hamas had conveyed through mediators, including long-term truces and security guarantees.
Mashal also spoke against efforts to remove Hamas from a governing or security role in Gaza, comparing such scenarios to US policies in Iraq that dismantled existing institutions. He said Hamas has been part of Gaza’s internal administration for years and argued that the imposition of any external authority would be rejected by the population.
On Palestinian internal politics, Mashal accused the Palestinian Authority of obstructing elections and democratic renewal. He said Hamas supports elections and political partnership, and claimed that past electoral processes were undermined when results were viewed unfavorably by Western governments.
Throughout the interview, Mashal described Hamas as a resistance movement with political and social dimensions, not only a military organization. He concluded by reiterating his appeal for the United States, and President Trump personally, to reconsider US policy toward Israel in light of what he said were changes in public opinion and political realities.