Hamas Chief al-Hayya Claims He Met U.S. Officials Many Times, Says Gaza 'Blood' Fuels Vote

Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas's political bureau, said in a television interview broadcast on Saturday that he had met with U.S. officials "many times" to present Palestinian demands and "felt understanding" from them. He dismissed Israel's October 27 election, saying "our people have suffered at the hands of all Israeli parties" and "they want our blood to serve as fuel for these elections." Al-Hayya also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rather than Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, should have been kept from the U.N. General Assembly. Hamas led the October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,221 people in Israel and took 251 hostages, and Israel views its stated promise to surrender weapons with skepticism.