Published on: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 – 2:16 PM | Last updated: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 – 2:16 PM
– Mashaal: The massive destruction in Gaza is a price that Palestinians must pay for freedom
Khaled Meshaal, head of the movement’s political bureau abroad, who resides in Doha, said that “Hamas officials are in no hurry to reach a ceasefire with Israel at any price.”
He stressed that the movement, which has been in ceasefire negotiations with Israel for months through Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators, “will not abandon its main demands to end the war and for Israel to withdraw completely from Gaza.”
He added in an interview with the New York Times today, Tuesday, that “Hamas will achieve victory in the war and will play a decisive role in the future of Gaza.”
He stressed that “Hamas has the upper hand in the conflict, as it has continued to stand firm and has put the Israeli army in a state of continuous attrition.”
He explained that “assuming that Hamas will be absent from the Gaza scene after the end of the war is wrong,” stressing that “the Palestinians alone will decide the arrangements for the Strip.”
He considered the massive destruction in Gaza a “price” that the Palestinians must pay for freedom, adding: “Before October 7, Gaza was slowly dying and we were in a big prison and we wanted to get rid of this situation.”