Hamas spokesman slams group's senior official over comments regretting 7 October 2023 attack

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem has slammed senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk over his comments to The New York Times saying he would not have supported the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, had he known what Israel's retaliation would be like. 

“The occupation’s aggressive and destructive behavior is the cause of the destruction in Gaza,” Qassem said. “The October 7 epic marks a strategic turning point in the Palestinian national struggle."

He also rejected Marzouk's openness to negotiate over Hamas's arms. 

“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.

“Resistance in all its forms is a legitimate right for our people until liberation and return.”