Hamas chief Meshaal: Oct 7 massacre will advance Israel’s destruction

On the anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, Hamas Chief Khaled Meshaal claimed that the impact of the attack would be felt for many more years and eventually “contribute to the disappearance of Israel.”

"The Al-Aqsa Flood has revived the Palestinian issue and united the Arab nation," Meshaal said in a video message, referring to the terror group's official name for the invasion and murder of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 from southern Israeli border communities.

Meshaal further claimed that the Oct. 7 massacre constituted a crucial moment in the history of the “Zionist entity” (Israel), saying it had left a “black mark” that marked the beginning of the State of Israel's dissolution.

Hamas, an Islamist terrorist proxy of the Iranian regime, does not officially recognize the existence of the Jewish state and calls for the destruction of Israel and the death of all Jews in its charter.

Meshaal urged the Arab world to open new fronts of “resistance” against Israel and called on the international community to hold Israel accountable in various political and legal forums.

Meshaal, who reportedly lives a life in luxury in Qatar, praised the population in Gaza for what he termed their “resilience” and “sacrifices.” He concluded by claiming that Hamas, under the leadership of Yahya Sinwar, was on the path towards “victory.”

"Victory is near; we want jihad through people and weapons," he said.

However, Meshaal did not address the massive losses in manpower and weaponry to its organization since Oct. 7 of last year.

The Israeli military estimated in August, that some 17,000 Hamas terrorists were eliminated during military operations inside Gaza. In addition, the IDF also killed about 1,000 terrorists inside Israel during the attack on Oct. 7, 2023. In addition, thousands of Hamas terrorists have been seriously wounded or captured by Israeli forces.

In September, the Israeli military announced it had defeated Hamas as a military organization and that the terror group had been reduced to a guerrilla entity.

Israel has also succeeded in eliminating most of Hamas’ top leadership including the former Hamas military commanders Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa. In late July, Hamas’ former political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran while he was staying at a presumably secure guest house of the Iranian regime.

While Jerusalem did not accept responsibility publicly for Haniyeh's assassination, analysts in the Middle East and internationally are convinced that Israel was responsible for the successful strike that killed him.

Meanwhile, Hamas’ Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, reportedly re-established contact with Qatar this week after a period of silence that had led to speculations that the wanted Hamas leader was dead.

Qatar, which has close ties with the Hamas leadership, has simultaneously acted as a mediator in the international efforts to secure the release of the remaining 101 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Former Israeli intelligence official, Kobi Michael, assessed that Sinwar would never surrender and needed to be eliminated.

“Yahya Sinwar will never surrender,” Michael reportedly told the New York Times. “He's dreaming about staying on as the leader of Hamas in Gaza. He's thinking now about the next massacre. That man must be killed.”