Senior Hamas official says he would not have supported 7 October attack if he knew Israel's response: Report

Mousa Abu Marzouk, the head of Hamas's foreign relations office, said he would not have supported the group's 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel had he known the devastating Israeli response that would have followed. 

“If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been Oct 7,” Marzouk told The New York Times. 

Marzouk, who once lived in the United States, represents one faction within Hamas, which is further divided into military and political wings. 

He also said Hamas was open to discussing disarming, telling The New York Times when asked, "We are ready to speak about every issue." 

Another senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said earlier this month that the group's arms would not be up for discussion.