For months, leaders of Hamas have defended the militant group’s resolution to launch the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel, regardless that it ignited a devastating Israeli offensive that has killed tens of 1000’s of Palestinians in Gaza and diminished the territory to rubble.
Hamas has declared “victory” over Israel, and a few of its officers have vowed that their fighters will perform extra Oct. 7-style assaults sooner or later.
However now considered one of Hamas’s prime officers is publicly expressing reservations in regards to the assault, which additionally touched off a humanitarian disaster that displaced almost two million and led to essential shortages of meals and well being care.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, the Qatar-based head of Hamas’s international relations workplace, mentioned in an interview with The New York Instances that he wouldn’t have supported the assault if he had identified of the havoc it might wreak on Gaza. Understanding of the results, he mentioned, would have made it “inconceivable” for him to again the assault.
Mr. Abu Marzouk has mentioned that he was not knowledgeable in regards to the particular plans for the Oct. 7 assault, wherein roughly 1,200 folks have been killed and about 250 taken hostage, however that he and different Hamas political leaders had endorsed its total technique of attacking Israel militarily.
“If it was anticipated that what occurred would occur, there wouldn’t have been Oct. 7,” so far as he was involved, he mentioned.
He additionally instructed that there was some willingness inside Hamas to barter the way forward for the group’s weapons in Gaza — which has been a sticking level in negotiations with Israel — taking a place that different Hamas officers have rejected. A compromise would possibly assist Hamas and Israel keep away from a renewal of the warfare, analysts say. Israel has mentioned that it desires Hamas to dismantle its army capabilities.
Mr. Abu Marzouk, 74, the primary chief of Hamas’s political workplace within the Nineties, made the remarks in a cellphone interview on Friday.
It’s unclear to what extent Mr. Abu Marzouk’s views on Oct. 7 are shared by different Hamas leaders, or in the event that they have been an try to affect negotiations with Israel or put strain on fellow leaders throughout the militant group. Different Hamas leaders, particularly these intently related to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, have tended to take a more durable line.
His feedback counsel that there are variations amongst Hamas officers over the celebration line on Oct. 7 and its penalties. Additionally they point out that the frustrations of Palestinians in Gaza who say the assault has made them endure extraordinary struggling are having some affect throughout the Hamas management.
Mr. Abu Marzouk’s feedback have been much like these made by Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah, within the aftermath of the 2006 warfare between Israel and Hezbollah. The dimensions of the destruction in that battle led Mr. Nasrallah to concede that his group wouldn’t have kidnapped and killed a number of Israeli troopers on the time had it identified it might set off such a powerful response.
Within the coming days, Israel and Hamas are anticipated to begin a dialogue in regards to the second section of the cease-fire in Gaza, which requires a everlasting finish to the combating, a full Israeli withdrawal, and the discharge of extra Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. However delays in beginning these talks coupled with disputes over the implementation of the primary section have strengthened fears that the truce might collapse and the warfare might restart.
Mr. Abu Marzouk, who spent years dwelling in america, has lengthy been seen as one of many extra pragmatic figures in Hamas. The warfare has exacted a heavy value on his household, together with his 77-year-old brother, Yousef, killed within the combating.
“He’s not a nihilist,” mentioned Stanley Cohen, a lawyer and longtime pal of Mr. Abu Marzouk primarily based in New York. “He wouldn’t help any motion that he believed would carry unprecedented, wholesale retaliation by anybody on the folks.”
Mr. Abu Marzouk mentioned that Hamas’s survival within the warfare in opposition to Israel was itself a “type of victory.” He additionally likened Hamas to a median individual combating Mike Tyson, the previous heavyweight boxing champion: if the untrained novice survived Mr. Tyson’s punches, folks would say he was victorious, he mentioned.
In absolute phrases, he mentioned it might be “unacceptable” to assert Hamas gained, particularly contemplating the size of what Israel inflicted on Gaza.
“We’re speaking a couple of celebration that misplaced management of itself and took revenge in opposition to all the pieces,” he mentioned, referring to Israel. “That’s not a victory beneath any circumstances.”
The Israeli army has claimed that it has carried out its air and floor campaigns in Gaza in accordance with worldwide legislation, and that it was finishing up assaults in opposition to Hamas, which america and different international locations have designated a terrorist group. However authorized specialists have accused Israel of utilizing drive in a means that resulted within the deaths of too many civilians.
Mr. Abu Marzouk additionally instructed there’s some openness throughout the Hamas management to barter the way forward for the group’s weapons in Gaza, a thorny problem that different Hamas officers have mentioned is off limits.
“We’re prepared to talk about each problem,” he mentioned, when requested in regards to the weapons. “Any problem that’s placed on the desk, we have to discuss it.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has insisted that his nation won’t finish the warfare with Hamas with out dismantling the group’s governing and army capabilities. Whereas Hamas has expressed readiness to concede civilian governance in Gaza, it has refused to surrender its weapons.
Mr. Abu Marzouk’s remarks appeared to contradict these of Osama Hamdan, one other Hamas official, who informed a convention in Doha, Qatar, in the midst of this month that “the weapons of the resistance” weren’t up for dialogue, seeming to rule out a compromise.
When requested about Mr. Hamdan’s statements, Mr. Abu Marzouk mentioned that nobody chief might set the agenda on their very own.
Ibrahim Madhoun, an analyst near Hamas, mentioned there have been a number of views throughout the group about vital points, however when its establishments decided, everybody stood behind it.
For the reason that cease-fire first got here into impact on Jan. 19, Hamas fighters have been parading round Gaza with rifles — sending a message to Israel, the worldwide neighborhood and Palestinians that the group was nonetheless in management.
Mr. Abu Marzouk declined to reply particular questions on attainable compromises on the difficulty of Hamas’s weapons. These compromises would possibly embrace Hamas’s storing its weapons in internationally supervised services, agreeing to forgo rebuilding its tunnel community and rocket arsenal, or stopping the recruitment of fighters. Disarmament, specialists say, is unlikely.
Because the talks over the second section of the cease-fire have been held up, Israeli and American officers have more and more spoken about extending the primary section.
Releasing some extra hostages and prisoners throughout an extension of the primary section, Mr. Abu Marzouk added, might be mentioned. However he clarified that, beneath any circumstances, Hamas would demand much more prisoners in trade for every hostage as a result of the group considers the remaining Israeli hostages to be troopers. He talked about 500 and 1,000 prisoners as attainable figures for every hostage.
Through the first section, a whole lot of Palestinian prisoners have been launched, however the variety of prisoners launched per hostage has typically not exceeded 50.
Mr. Abu Marzouk mentioned Hamas was additionally open to releasing all hostages on the identical time, if Israel was keen to free the 1000’s of Palestinians in its prisons, finish the warfare and withdraw from Gaza.
“We’re able to have a complete deal,” he mentioned.
Israeli officers have beforehand dismissed proposals to trade all hostages for all prisoners.
Abu Bakr Bashir contributed reporting to this text.
