The leader of Hamas in exile, Khaled Meshaal, said that the Palestinian group will rise from the ashes “like a phoenix” despite heavy losses in a year of war with Israel, and that it continues to recruit new fighters and produce weapons.
A year after the Hamas attack that sparked the war, Meshal portrays the conflict with Israel as a wider 76-year struggle, which Palestinians call the “Nakba” or “catastrophe,” when many people were displaced during the 1948 war that followed the creation of the Israeli state.
“Palestinian history consists of cycles,” 68-year-old Meshal, a senior Hamas official who reports to the group’s leader Yahji Sinwar, told Reuters.
“We are going through phases where we lose martyrs (victims) and lose some of our military capabilities, but after that the Palestinian spirit will rise again, like a phoenix,” he said.
Meshaal, who survived an Israeli poisoning attempt in 1997 and served as Hamas leader from 1996 to 2017, said the Islamist militant group could still ambush Israeli forces.
“We have lost some of our ammunition and weapons, but Hamas is still recruiting young men and continues to produce a significant amount of its own ammunition and weapons,” Meshal added, without elaborating.
Meshal is still influential in Hamas today after having played a key role in its leadership for almost three decades, and he is generally considered the group’s diplomat. He is one of six Hamas leaders indicted by the US Department of Justice for the October 7 attack on Israel.
His comments are an indication that the group will continue to fight regardless of losses, analysts who study the Middle East said.
“For the most part, I would say (Hamas) is alive and well and will probably return to Gaza at some point,” said Just R. Hilterman, head of the Middle East and North Africa division at the International Crisis Group (ICG) institute.
He added that Israel has not presented a plan for Gaza after the war ends, which could allow Hamas to return there, but probably not in the same form or strength.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on Meshaal’s claims.
Israel launched its offensive against Hamas after about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 kidnapped in a Hamas attack on October 7 last year, according to Israeli figures. Most of the Gaza Strip has been devastated, and the offensive has killed about 42,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Israeli campaign focused on southern Lebanon
Israel claims that Hamas no longer exists as an organized military structure and that it has been reduced to guerrilla warfare. At least a third of the Palestinian casualties in Gaza, some 17,000 people, were Hamas fighters, Israeli officials said. Approximately 350 Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting in Gaza. Meshaal said he did not think there was any prospect of peace while the Netanyahu government was in power. Israel blames Hamas, whose founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel, for the failure to achieve peace.
“As long as the (Israeli) occupation exists, the region is still a ticking time bomb,” Meshal said.
The focus of the Israeli military campaign has now largely shifted to the north of Israel and the south of Lebanon, from where the Islamist group Hezbollah, a Shiite militia led by Iran, has been attacking Israel since October 8 last year.
The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that its 146th Division began what it called limited, localized and targeted operations against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southwestern Lebanon on Monday.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Turkish navy ships will evacuate Turkish citizens who have asked to leave Lebanon on Wednesday.
Two ships that can carry a total of about 2,000 passengers should set sail for Beirut on Tuesday, the ministry announced.
The ministry added that the evacuation will continue in the coming days if there is a need for it, and that ships will also transport humanitarian aid to Lebanon.
Turkey previously said it was cooperating with about 20 countries in preparing for the possible evacuation of foreign nationals through Turkey. Hundreds of people of various nationalities arrived in Turkey from Lebanon last week by commercial ship.
Warnings from Iran
Iran warned Israel on Tuesday against attacking the Islamic Republic, a week after Tehran fired missiles at Israel, bringing the Middle East to the brink of a wider war.
There will be retaliation for any attack on Iran’s infrastructure, Foreign Minister Abaz Arakchi said, amid fears that Israel could target nuclear facilities or oil fields in the country.
“Any attack on Iran’s infrastructure will result in a stronger response,” Aragchi warned, Iranian state television reported.
The warning came after Israel, Tehran’s sworn enemy, said it was preparing a response to a missile attack launched on its territory by Iran in early October.
Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad visited key oil fields in the country this week following Israeli threats, Hina writes.
