Hamas leader claims: Russia will teach our October 7 attack on Israel in military academies

Hamas leader Khaled Mashal has claimed that Russia has told the militant group that the October 7 operation against Israel will be taught in military academies.

Speaking to a TV anchor, the former Hamas chief Mashal also claimed that the Chinese are thinking of carrying out a smilar attack in Taiwan.

He told the Tele Vision network: "We want the Arab communities in the West to be active and (we want) cooperation with superpowers like China and Russia. For your information. Russia has benefitted from our (attack), because we distracted the US from them and Ukraine. China saw (our attack) as dazzling example. The Russians told us that what happened on October 7 would be taught in military academies. The Chinese are thinking of carrying out a plan in Taiwan, doing what the Al-Qassam Brigades did on October 7. The Arabs are giving the world a masterclass."

Mashal is a founding member of Hamas politburo and was the chairman until 2017. According to a BBC profile, Mashal was born in the West Bank and brought up in Kuwait and Jordan. He became Hamas's political leader in exile in 2004.

A delegation from Hamas visited Moscow on Thursday for talks on the release of foreign hostages including Russian citizens that the militant group is currently holding in Gaza, TASS reported.

Senior Hamas member Abu Marzouk was among those attending the talks, said the TASS. Israel has reacted angrily to the development and has called on the government of President Vladimir Putin to expel Hamas members.

The Hamas group meanwhile has lauded Putin and his administration for their efforts to end the war.