DUBAI: Hamas’ former leader Khaled Mashaal has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “holocaust” in a speech delivered on Monday morning.

In the speech televised live by Al Arabiya, Mashaal said the Oct. 7. attacks happened because all political options had closed for the Palestinian people.

Mashaal urged the people of Gaza not to despair and promised that they would soon achieve victory.

Meshaal said the Oct. 7 attack was “a natural response to the occupation and its accelerating plans for settlement, siege and aggression against Al-Aqsa,” referring to the flashpoint Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound which is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City.

He thanked Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran for supporting Hamas and called on Arab countries to provide financial support to Gaza.

Mashaal said Israel opened another front in Lebanon after failing to achieve its goals in Gaza.

“Al-Aqsa flood returned the occupation to square zero and threatened its existence,” he said, using the group’s name for the attack.

He also accused Israel of threatening Egypt and Jordan, despite long-standing peace agreements between the countries.

He added that “the enemy wants everyone in the region to be subject to him and he does this even with countries that do not fight him.”

He said Israel “attacks Arab and Islamic national security everywhere.”

Over the past year in Gaza, more than 40,000 people, including over 10,000 children, have been killed by Israel’s forces, exacting indiscriminate and disproportionate vengeance for the reported 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Globally, people have hit the streets to protest against Israel’s deadly military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon.

Protestors have described the situation in Gaza as “genocide,” and called on the international community to act against Israel.

Protests have taken place in the Middle East, Europe, the US, India, Pakistan and the Far East.