How Will Hamas Handle Musa Abu Marzouk after his Latest Comments?

Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk upon arriving at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters on February 3, 2025. (EPA)
Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk upon arriving at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters on February 3, 2025. (EPA)
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How Will Hamas Handle Musa Abu Marzouk after his Latest Comments?

Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk upon arriving at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters on February 3, 2025. (EPA)
Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk upon arriving at the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters on February 3, 2025. (EPA)

Statements by Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’ political bureau and head of its foreign relations office, have sparked widespread debate after his assessment of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and comments about the Palestinian movement’s weapons.

In an interview with The New York Times published on Monday, Abu Marzouk said he would not have supported the Oct. 7 assault on Israel had he known the extent of destruction it would bring to Gaza. He also indicated that Hamas is open to negotiations over the future of its weapons in the enclave.

A Hamas spokesperson said the comments made by Abu Marzouk “do not represent the movement’s position,” stressing that the movement remains committed to its weapons and considers the Oct. 7 attack a “watershed moment in the history of all occupied peoples.”

In a later official statement, Hamas described Abu Marzouk’s remarks as “inaccurate and taken out of context,” adding that the interview was conducted several days earlier and that the published excerpts “failed to reflect the full substance of his responses, distorting their true meaning.”

Sources within Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement has decided to limit its response to the statement and is not considering any measures against Abu Marzouk.

Prior to Abu Marzouk’s interview, the group’s leadership had advised senior officials to avoid engaging with international media outlets, citing concerns that their remarks were often manipulated.

Sources did not explain why Abu Marzouk disregarded this guidance.

Observers say his statements suggest possible internal divisions within Hamas on key issues. Others believe they may be an indirect message from the group to Western audiences.

Hamas sources, however, downplayed any pressure on Abu Marzouk to retract his comments.

Abu Marzouk is widely seen as a proponent of diplomacy and engagement with European countries and even the United States.

He has previously stated that he has met with European officials as part of Hamas’ outreach efforts. Analysts suggest he is not closely aligned with the faction that favors stronger ties with Iran and the so-called “Axis of Resistance”.

This is not the first time Abu Marzouk has drawn controversy with his public remarks or leaked conversations.

In January 2016, an audio recording surfaced in which he sharply criticized Iran, questioning its support for Palestinian factions.



Greeks Mourn, Turks Celebrate Anniversary of Invasion that Split Cyprus

A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
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Greeks Mourn, Turks Celebrate Anniversary of Invasion that Split Cyprus

A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
A woman walks next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

Greek and Turkish Cypriots marked on Sunday the 51st anniversary of Türkiye’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus, an event that split the island and remains a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Türkiye.

Air raid sirens sounded across the southern Greek Cypriot-populated parts of Cyprus at 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), the exact time when Turkish troops landed on the northern coast in a military intervention triggered by a brief Greece-inspired coup.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus, a breakaway state recognized only by Ankara.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service in the south to commemorate the more than 3,000 people who died in the Turkish invasion, which also drove tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots from their homes.

"Despite those who want us to forget, we will never forget, or yield an inch of land," Christodoulides said, calling celebrations in the north "shameful".

Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island's future.

Before the invasion, clashes between Turkish and Greek Cypriots saw Turkish Cypriots withdraw from a power-sharing government and prompted the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said the invasion had brought "peace and tranquility" to the island following the "darkest years" for Turkish Cypriots.

"Their (Greek Cypriots) goal was to destroy the Turkish Cypriots," he said in a video address posted on X.

The simmering conflict complicates Türkiye's ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures, warning that "there is a long road ahead".