Not surprising
Abu Marzouk: Israel must pay to rebuild Gaza
Abu Marzouk is the co-founder of Hamas. He is deluded if he thinks Hamas is stronger than the IDF and that israel should pay for Gaza's rebirth after what Hamas did on October 7th. But, if this is what a senior Hamas official is saying, how can Israel ever have peace in Gaza?
In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official based abroad, asserted that armed resistance is a legal right of the Palestinian people. "The armed resistance is a legal right of the Palestinian people as a people, and they have the right to resist the occupation by all means available to them," Abu Marzouk stated.
He argued that the weapons held by Israel are insignificant in the overall military balance, emphasizing, "The weapons in the hands of the resistance are not significant in the military balance, and our point of strength is the fighters who stood on the front line against the American tanks and planes with their bare hands."
Abu Marzouk also addressed the ongoing ceasefire efforts, saying Hamas will proceed to the second phase of the ceasefire plan with a unified Palestinian position. He highlighted the capability of Palestinians to maintain security in Gaza. "The Palestinian people are capable of maintaining security, and the security forces in the Strip began from the first day of the agreement to monitor the instigators of disturbances and establish security in the Strip," he said.
However, he identified the Israeli army as the primary source of instability. "The main factor for instability in the Gaza Strip is the Israeli army, and its complete withdrawal from the Strip will be the most important step towards the stability of the Strip and maintaining security in it."
On the reconstruction of Gaza, Abu Marzouk stressed Israel's responsibility for the destruction. "Reconstructing what Israel destroyed in the Gaza Strip is a duty and a right for more than two million Palestinians who lost their homes and sources of livelihood. There is a Security Council resolution on the matter; we see Israel as the primary responsible for the destruction of the Strip and it must bear all the costs of reconstruction," he told Sputnik.
The interview comes amid ongoing tensions in the region, with recent reports indicating that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) control over 80% of the Gaza Strip and that approximately 90% of its infrastructure has been destroyed.
No immediate Israeli government response to Abu Marzouk's latest statements was available, though previous interviews with the Hamas official have drawn sharp criticism from Israeli officials, including accusations of justifying terrorism and storming out when pressed on the outcomes of the October 7, 2023, attacks.