Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy political leader of Hamas, spoke to the BBC and claimed that women, children, and civilians were exempt from Hamas’s attacks. These claims stand in contrast to video evidence showing armed Hamas members targeting both adults and children. Israel reported over 1,400 casualties in the October 7 attacks, with the majority being civilians. Marzouk discussed the ongoing conflict and the release of hostages, emphasizing that they could only be released when the fighting stops. He also mentioned a recent trip to Moscow to discuss Russian-Israeli dual citizens captured by Hamas.
When asked about the attack on October 7, Marzouk claimed that the leader of Hamas’s Qassam Brigades, Mohamed el-Deif, ordered his fighters to spare civilians, including women and children. However, the BBC challenged him with videos showing unarmed civilians being shot by Hamas fighters. Marzouk did not directly address these videos. Additionally, when asked about the political and armed wings of Hamas, he stated that there was no need for the armed wing to consult with the political leadership. The UK government considers both wings as part of a single terrorist organization, while Marzouk is designated as a global terrorist by the US Treasury Department and faces charges related to coordinating and financing Hamas activities.
