Hamas Leader Khalid Meshaal: Palestinians united against Israel

The political leader of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas says Israel has failed to achieve its goals in the Gaza attack and Palestinians will stand firm against Tel Aviv’s aggressions.

Khaled Meshaal, speaking at a news conference in Cairo on Monday, warned Israel that launching a ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip would be a ‘mistake.’

The Hamas leader also demanded open borders for Gaza and international guarantees that Israel will halt all attacks on the enclave, including targeted killings of the movement’s leaders, as conditions for a cease-fire.

He also called on rights groups to “expose” Israeli “crimes” against Gaza, especially those he said had been perpetrated against children and civilians, describing the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “child-killer and a war criminal”.

Last week, the Israeli military launched a series of new air and sea attacks, dubbed “Operation Pillar of Cloud” against Gazans after assassinating Hamas’ military chief, Ahmed al-Jabari, the head of Izzeddin Qassam Brigades.

The Israeli military says it has attacked the Gaza Strip 1,350 times since the beginning of the new wave of raids on November 14.

The Israeli offensive has left over 100 Palestinians dead and hundreds of others injured.