Mashaal says Palestinian displacement threat remains in Gaza and West Bank

Senior Hamas official Khaled Mashaal warned that plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank remained active, arguing that developments in both territories should be viewed as part of the same broader conflict.

Mashaal, who heads Hamas’s external leadership, made the remarks during a meeting organised by the Al-Quds International Institution and the Global Coalition to Support Jerusalem and Palestine.

He said Israeli forces currently control about 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, with the remaining territory increasingly separated by military corridors and buffer zones. He warned that further expansion could place additional pressure on densely populated areas where displaced Palestinians are concentrated.

The 70 percent estimate broadly corresponds with Israeli reporting. Israeli military officials told the Security Cabinet in July that the military controlled between 67 percent and 70 percent of Gaza, while Netanyahu had previously instructed the military to expand its territorial control to 70 percent.

Mashaal argued that Israeli actions in Gaza were connected to developments in the occupied West Bank, pointing to military operations in refugee camps, infrastructure destruction, Palestinian displacement and continued settlement expansion. He characterised those developments as part of a broader effort targeting the Palestinian presence in both territories.

He urged supporters of the Palestinian cause not to treat Gaza as an issue separate from developments in the West Bank and called for continued attention to Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and to tensions surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Mashaal also accused Israeli authorities of systematically mistreating Palestinian prisoners. Israel has rejected accusations of systematic abuse, although Israeli and international human rights organizations have documented allegations of mistreatment and abuse in detention facilities.

His remarks come as Israeli forces retain control over large parts of Gaza despite the US-brokered ceasefire reached in 2025. Israel says its continuing military operations are aimed at preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities and securing its disarmament, while Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and obstructing implementation of the broader agreement.