Gaza conflict part of global war led by US: Hamas official

ISTANBUL

A global war is taking place in Gaza which is being led by the US, a senior representative of the Palestinian group Hamas said Sunday.

Khaled Meshaal was speaking via video conference at the Gaza Forum in Türkiye organized by around 60 Arab organizations.

Meshaal said that despite 16 years of blockade and successive wars, the people of Gaza have displayed remarkable resilience and resistance.

“When Gaza saw the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque being violated, its temporal and spatial division (allocating certain hours of the day and specific areas within the mosque to Jews) and the looming danger of it being demolished and replaced with 'Har Habayit' (The Temple Mount), it took upon itself the responsibility. Despite being distant and under blockade, it was not deterred,” he added.

Meshaal further said that Palestinian armed groups took a significant step towards reclaiming sacred sites and liberation, but these events later turned into a Zionist revenge marked by the destruction of schools, mosques, hospitals and homes.

He also pointed out that the US and other Western countries provided the green light for Israel's attacks on Gaza, implementing a "scorched earth" tactic with “the aim of destroying resistance, Hamas and the support it received from the people.”

"The war in Gaza began in support of Al-Aqsa Mosque, then continued with a cowardly revenge (Israel's attacks), and today it has evolved into a global war led not only by the United States but also supported by the US,” he added.

He further highlighted the importance of providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza and backing the resistance alongside the necessity for daily demonstrations against attacks and amplifying the Palestinian perspective in the media.

The conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

At least 4,651 Palestinians including 1,873 children and 1,023 women, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul