'This is a moment of truth'
DOHA, Qatar (TND) — The former chief of terrorist organization Hamas is calling for neighboring countries to join the war against Israel.
Khaled Meshaal, who is based in Qatar and currently heads Hamas' diaspora office, made the call in a recorded statement to Reuters Wednesday.
A diaspora office manages interactions with those who share a belief or regional origin but are living away from their homeland.
[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday," Meshaal told Reuters. "Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan ... This is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility."Meshaal called on both citizens and government agencies of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt to join the fight. The largest number of Palestinian refugees reside in Jordan and Lebanon, according to Reuters.
To all scholars who teach jihad ... to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application (of theories)," Meshaal told Reuters.READ MORE | North Korean media blames Israel for invasion by Hamas terrorists
The call comes as Israel forms an emergency government and five-member war management cabinet. The cabinet, which features Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will focus solely on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The emergency government will refrain from passing any laws or making decisions which are not connected to the war as long as fighting continues.
Netanyahu has previously asserted that Israel, thought it didn't "start" the war, will "finish" it.
"It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way," Netanyahu said Monday. "Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come."
READ MORE | Israeli PM: 'Though Israel didn't start this war, Israel will finish it'
The death toll in Israel surpassed 1,100 Wednesday, while more than 263,000 people across Gaza have been determined displaced since Israeli airstrikes began. More than 1,050 Gaza citizens are believed to have been killed in retaliatory attacks.
The U.S. Department of State announced Wednesday that 22 American citizens have been killed by Hamas, an increase from 14 one day prior. American families with missing loved ones have pled for help from the Biden administration this week, with some asking for those being held hostage by Hamas to be labeled prisoners of war.
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