Khaled Mashal: IDF in 'state of attrition'; 'Hamas has the upper hand'
In an interview with US media, the senior Hamas official said that the organization "has the upper hand" • On negotiations, Khaled Mashal says the US "practically recognizing Hamas"
Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashal gave an interview to the New York Times published on Tuesday, claiming that "Hamas has the upper hand" and that the Israel Defense Forces is "in a state of attrition."
From his residence in Doha, Qatar, the Hamas leader said that the terrorist group will not agree to a ceasefire deal and hostage release at any cost. As for the goal in the war, he said that the group's goal is to win by surviving, even if it means being significantly weakened.
Mashaal, 68, is one of the senior figures in Hamas's political office and is considered a central architect in the organization's strategy. In an interview, he made it clear that Hamas leaders are not rushing to reach a ceasefire with Israel, and will not give up their main demands for the end of the war and Israeli withdrawal. Mashaal said that he sees this as a recognition that Hamas is not going anywhere.
"The Israeli-American vision wasn’t talking about the day after the war, but the day after Hamas," Mashal said about the initial US position.
US statements now say "We’re waiting for Hamas’s response," Mashal added. "They’re practically recognizing Hamas."
"Before October 7, Gaza was dying a slow death," he said. "We were in a big prison and we wanted to get rid of this situation." Palestinians must "fight until liberation."
He called Israeli and American statements that demand a Gaza Strip without the presence of Hamas delusional.
"Israel and the US will realize that Hamas is not going anywhere," he said.