A top Hamas official says he now regrets endorsing the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel after witnessing the destruction of Gaza when the Jewish state retaliated.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of Hamas’s foreign-relations office in Qatar, said that if he knew what the consequences would have been from the terror attack — including the deaths of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of nearly all buildings in Gaza — he would have never supported the assault in 2023.
“If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been Oct. 7,” Marzouk, 74, told the New York Times.
Marzouk’s comments mark a rare condemnation of the terror attack from within the group, suggesting a split within Hamas over the Gaza war.
More than 48,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict so far, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
Meanwhile, the United Nations estimates that nearly 70% of all buildings across Gaza have been damaged or laid to waste, with more than 2 million Palestinian refugees continuing to struggle through the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Marzouk said that given the severe loss of life and destruction, it is “unacceptable” for anyone in Hamas to claim the terror group is winning the war.
The Hamas official suggested that the specific plans of the Oct. 7 attack were kept hidden from the rest of the terror group’s upper brass, claiming he and other political leaders approved a plan to strike Israeli military sites, as opposed to the civilian communities that were brutalized.
Marzouk claimed the leaders were also left in the dark about Hamas’ plan to kidnap 251 people during the massacre, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem quickly condemned Marzouk’s comments, with the group claiming The Times took his answers out of context.
“We hold onto our resistance weapon as a legitimate right, and what was attributed to Moussa Abu Marzouk does not represent the movement’s stance,” Qassem said in a statement.
“The occupation’s aggressive and destructive behavior is the cause of the destruction in Gaza,” he added, referring to Israel. “The Oct. 7 epic marks a strategic turning point in the Palestinian national struggle.”
Along with regretting the terrorist attack, Marzouk called on Hamas to be open to concessions and discussions about giving up their arms to push the strained cease-fire deal through.
The peace deal saw its negotiations halted over the weekend after Hamas failed to release the body of slain hostage Shiri Bibas on Thursday, with her corpse handed over the next day after outcry from Israel and the international community.
Israel then refused to release the 602 Palestinian prisoners it was slated to free as part of the exchange, saying it would only do so if Hamas immediately released the bodies of four more hostages.
Hamas has declined to do so until Israel releases the prisoners, with the dispute serving as only the latest snag to an already fragile ceasefire.