Hamas leader says Israel to campaign off Gaza's 'blood' in election

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya dismissed the prospect of change in Israel’s upcoming election, asserting that the Israeli people would campaign against Gaza's "blood" regardless of who comes to power. Speaking to the Qatari station Al-Araby, al-Hayya emphasized that the Palestinian people have endured suffering under all Israeli administrations and would not allow the cause of the Palestinian people to serve as fuel for Israeli elections.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is in a tight contest to retain power in the October 27 elections, vowing to maintain a presence in Gaza and rejecting a US-led peace initiative, which Hamas would accept if it meant surrendering weapons. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel has led to a retaliatory Israeli offensive that has displaced nearly the entire Gaza population, damaged or destroyed most buildings, and resulted in over 73,900 fatalities, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The Palestinian Authority has set a legislative election for November 28, the first in two decades, but there are significant doubts about its occurrence. Hamas defeated the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, in the 2006 election, and he has since ruled by decree, preventing the legislature from convening. Abbas is currently based in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy.

Al-Hayya expressed his readiness to engage in dialogue with President Abbas to establish a national program and achieve genuine unity. If the Palestinian elections are delayed, the alliance with Abbas will remain intact and open to all, according to al-Hayya. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the elections, Hamas has extended an olive branch to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis, who have been conducting escalating attacks against the kingdom since July.