Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, the prevailing narrative promoted by Hamas and other factions aligned with Iran has been that the conflict was unfolding in-line with the strategic calculations of Gaza’s astute leaders. Across the wider media ecosystem aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, the battle in the Palestinian enclave was being framed as an overwhelming victory for Hamas, with doubters dismissed as treacherous or conspiracists.
Yet in his most recent interview, Khaled Mashal, a Palestinian politician who serves as Hamas’s political representative abroad, described the Gaza war as “genocidal”. It was the first implicit admission of the war’s outcome from a senior Hamas figure. A reluctant and belated acknowledgment, it signalled that the era of sweeping military analyses extolling the Gaza factions’ superhuman capabilities has finally come to an end. Judging by Mashal’s comments, the narrative that replaces this ‘victory’ rhetoric focuses on the widespread destruction of Gaza and on Israel’s occupation of 60% of it.
Having to adapt
The interview reflects the new power dynamics impacting Hamas and reshaping its rhetoric, an evolution mirrored across the wider Muslim Brotherhood. The populist discourse over Gaza that dominated the past two years was unsustainable. Mashal has recently expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s efforts to advance the Palestinian cause by encouraging international recognition of Palestine. He also thanked Jordan and Egypt for their opposition to displacement policies.
Mashal now recognises that aligning Hamas messaging with either the Brotherhood or Iran only serves to undermine it, rather than strengthen it. Likewise, it knows now that hostility towards Arab governments yields no tangible benefit. A veteran Hamas politician with far more experience than many of his peers, Mashal is wise to the currents, and his latest appearance signals a pivotal shift not only in Hamas’s media rhetoric but also in its political orientation, towards a more formal stance.
Several Muslim Brotherhood leaders have echoed Mashal’s view that the movement must reposition itself, more closely aligning with Arab states. For its part, Iran appears to be turning inward and shows little appetite for new regional ventures. Its influence has declined after sustaining repeated setbacks, including Israeli and US airstrikes. As a result, Tehran is reassessing who it supports and how, weighing the consequences.
