Following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al, which aired on Al-Quds TV on August 28, 2014:
Khaled Mash'al: Our hearts go out to the displaced, to the 460,000 of our people in Gaza against whom the leaders of the enemy perpetrated a new holocaust, even worse than the holocaust perpetrated by Hitler. They destroyed neighborhoods, homes, towers, hospitals, schools, and factories. They targeted all the capabilities of our people, and indeed, they targeted many of them. Now they are displaced, and my heart goes out to you, my brothers and sisters in Gaza.
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Is it not sufficient consolation, oh people of Gaza, that Allah has raised your esteem? Today, you have become an icon, a symphony, a melody on everybody's lips. "Did We not raise your esteem?" You have become the crown jewel of the Palestinian people, the pride of the Arab and Islamic nation, and a major source of inspiration for all free peoples.
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The people of Jerusalem used to watch the rockets overhead and rejoice. The people within the 1948 borders would watch the rockets. They would rejoice, while their next-door neighbors were terrified. The people of the West Bank staged an Intifada, but were constrained by the heavy shackles of the security forces. They hampered their movement, but still…
The time has come for this giant to rise up, and indeed, it has begun to do so. The time has come for this genie to emerge from the bottle. This is the noble Palestine, which includes the people of Jerusalem, of the West Bank, of the land within the 1948 borders, of Gaza, and of its diaspora. Along with them stands the Islamic nation, who has remained loyal to its pledge. This victory is the victory of them all. They are your partners, oh people of Gaza.
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The notion of an invincible [Israeli] army has sustained an unprecedented blow. [The resistance] rubbed this army's nose in the dirt, humiliated it, embarrassed it, and massacred its elite soldiers. This is of importance both in the material and moral sense, for us, as well as for the enemy.
Secondly, we have achieved a balance of terror, and an equation of mutual suffering and of a mutual lack of security. I am not talking about a balance of power or of deterrence. In all modestly, it's still early for that. But as for a balance of terror, mutual suffering, and mutual lack of security – indeed, these were achieved in this war. Otherwise, how would you account for five millions Israelis hiding in shelters? Some of them became refugees, just like ours.
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This war strengthened our hopes, brought us closer to our goal, and shortened our path to Jerusalem, to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to the places holy to Islam and Christianity. However, in order to achieve this, we must invest all our capabilities – first as Palestinians, and then as Arabs and Muslims. Let me convey this message: After the present battle, our next battle should be waged with all our capabilities as Palestinians, and after that, with all our capabilities as Arabs.
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The Jewish victims – or today, the Israeli victims – who claim to be doing what they are doing because they are victims have perpetrated a holocaust worse than the one perpetrated by Hitler. Israel has lost its monopoly over victimhood.
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