The White House has announced that the country is preparing for the so-called “Day of Jihad” on Friday, October 13, after a former leader of Hamas called for Muslim communities around the world to protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
On Thursday, Khaled Mashaal, a former leader of the Palestinian paramilitary group which last weekend launched an unprecedented surprise attack on Israel, called on Muslims to take to the streets to show their anger about what is happening in Gaza.
According to the latest estimates from the Associated Press, the war between Israel and Hamas has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides since October 7.
“[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,” said Mashaal, who now heads Hamas’ diaspora office in Qatar.
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In a video posted on YouTube, which has since been removed, he also called on the people of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt to join the fight against Israel.
“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,” he said.
The call has alarmed American lawmakers, with Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, a Republican, telling CNN on Thursday that lawmakers are worried about the threat of “jihadist groups” in countries like Syria and Iraq.
Talking to reporters during a press conference on Thursday , John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, said the government was “focused on making sure that our intelligence-sharing with the Israelis is as sharp and as good as possible for the operations that they are in.”
In response to a question by a reporter asking him if the country was going to do anything to “fortify” itself in the face of a potential threat, Kirby said: “Absolutely. We are constantly in touch with local law enforcement…state and federal officials across the country, to make sure that we are as vigilant as we can be to be able to identify and disrupt any threats to the American people.”
He added: “We’re absolutely going to stay focused on that.”
Some U.S. lawmakers have expressed fears that the “Day of Jihad” called by Mashaal might lead to violence, with Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a gun rights enthusiast, responding to the alleged threat on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Floridians are armed—We won’t be intimidated,” he wrote.
Mashaal’s call for a “Day of Jihad” followed Israel’s pledge to escalate its response to Hamas’ attack last Saturday with a ground offensive. The Israeli military has informed the U.N. that the entire population of northern Gaza—over one million people—should move to the southern half of the territory within 24 hours as its troops prepare “for the next stage of the war.”