A billionaire Hamas official has said he would not have supported the October 7 attack against Israel today had he known the destruction it would bring to Gaza.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, the Qatar-based head of Hamas’ foreign relations office, has become the first official from the terrorist organisation to publicly express his reservations about the attack.
The incursion in 2023 saw over 1,000 Israelis killed and a further 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.
In response Israel launched a full scale military campaign against Hamas which has killed 48,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.
Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Abu Marzouk said if he had know the consequences of the assault it would have been ‘impossible’ for him to support it.
He has also suggested that Hamas could be willing to negotiate the future of the group’s weapons in Gaza.
A position other officials have rejected so far but could avoid a renewal of the war.
‘We are ready to speak about every issue. Any issue that is put on the table, we need to speak about it,’ he said.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, the Qatar-based head of Hamas’ foreign relations office, has become the first official from the terrorist organisation to publicly express his reservations about the assault in 2023
Destroyed buildings in Gaza. In response to October 7 Israel launched a full scale military campaign against Hamas which has killed 48,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza
Hamas fighters and supporters in Gaza city on January 25 2025. Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Abu Marzouk said if he had know the consequences of the assault it would have been ‘impossible’ for him to support it.
However, it is unclear if any of Hamas’ leadership share Mr Abu Marzouk due to multiple factions within the group who share close connections with Iran and Hezbollah and tend to take more hardline positions.
And his comments do appear to contradict those made by Hamas official Osama Hamdan at a press conference in Doha where Mr Hamdan said ‘the weapons of the resistance’ were not up for discussion, seeming to rule out a compromise.
The 74-year-old, who is believed to have a net worth of $2billion, also claimed that he was not informed about the specific plans for October 7 but admits that along with other Hamas political leaders he endorsed a military attack against Israel.
His comments suggest that there are differences among Hamas officials over the party line on October 7 and its consequences.
It also appears as thought frustrations from Palestinians in Gaza, who have endured months of hardship, is having some impact on the leadership.
Mr Abu Marzouk’s intervention comes as officials from the US have mentioned a potential extension of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement which came into effect on January 19.
The first phase is now coming to an end and the fragile peace has largely held despite accusations of violations by both sides.
The 74-year-old, who is believed to have a net worth of $2billion, also claimed that he was not informed about the specific plans for October 7 but admits that along with other Hamas political leaders he endorsed a military attack against Israel
Hamas fighters at the release of hostages on February 22 2025. It is unclear if any of Hamas’ leadership share Mr Abu Marzouk due to multiple factions within the group who share close connections with Iran and Hezbollah and tend to take more hardline positions
President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to the region this week.
‘We have to get an extension of phase one. I’ll be going to the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that and we are hopeful that we have the proper time to begin phase two and finish it off and get more hostages released,’ Mr Witkoff said.
The first phase of the ceasefire includes a deal to exchange 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza for almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held by Israel.
After this the second phase would include a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of around 60 remaining hostages.
Mr Abu Marzouk said Hamas was open to releasing all hostages at the same time, if Israel was willing to free the thousands of Palestinians in its prisons, end the war and withdraw from Gaza.
‘We’re ready to have a comprehensive deal,’ he said.
According to the Embassy of Israel in the US in 2023, three of Hamas’s most senior leaders – this includes Mr Abu Marzouk, Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh – have net worths of more than $3billion each.
The embassy also claims that Hamas’ annual turnover is $1billion and suggests the group is second only to ISIS as the world’s richest terror group.
A woman walks next to posters with pictures of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Tel Aviv. The attack last year saw over 1,000 Israelis killed and a further 251 were taken back to Gaza as hostages
Mr Abu Marzouk spent 14 years in the US – where he was in 1995 arrested for activities supporting terrorism and deported after two years – before he moved to Jordan, then to Syria and then to Cairo in 2012.
Despite his arrest, he kept hold of his money, and today Bild reported his fortune is estimated at $2billion, while the Israeli embassy to the US puts it higher, at $3billion.
Hamas is best known for its military wing, with reports that 40,000 terrorists wear the group’s badge, thousands of whom took part in the October 7 attack. They are armed to the teeth with rifles and rockets, and have vowed to destroy Israel.
But the group is also the de facto authority that governs over Gaza, running organisations including its healthcare system, social services and the media.
It took power in 2006, with its political leader Ismail Haniyeh assuming the role of prime minister that year. It remains in control of the territory and – having called no elections since – is essentially an authoritarian regime.
Article by:Source:
