Moussa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s Political Bureau said in a November 6 interview with BBC Arabic (U.K.) that Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank must join the fight against the occupation. When the interviewer replied that Israeli Arabs fear their citizenship would be revoked, he replied: "Their cowardice will not protect them from the humiliation that will be their lot." Abu Marzouk reiterated recent statements, according to which the tunnels in Gaza were built to protect Hamas fighters, not civilians, saying that the tunnels enable Hamas to fight the "occupiers," and it is not possible to put all the residents of Gaza in the tunnels. He also claimed that it was Israeli forces who killed most of the Israeli civilians who died on October 7, not Hamas. He continued to say that Hamas does not have a complete list of all the Israeli hostages, because they are being held by different factions and in different places. See MEMRI TV clip number 10585 for more information.
To view the clip of Moussa Abu Marzouk, click here or below:
"Most Of The [Israeli] Civilians Who Were Killed On [October 7] Were Killed By Israeli Forces... Those Houses Were Destroyed By Shells From Tanks And Planes"
Moussa Abu Marzouk: "Most of the [Israeli] civilians who were killed [on October 7] were killed by Israeli forces. The best evidence of that is the houses in which they were killed. Those houses were destroyed by shells from tanks and planes, and not by the AK-47s our people had.
[…]
Israeli Arabs "Should Join Their People In Fighting The Occupiers... Inside Israel, In The West Bank, And Everywhere"
"Those [Israeli] Arabs must not remain isolated. They should join their people in fighting the occupiers. They should do whatever they can to fight those occupiers."
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Interviewer: "Inside Israel?"
Abu Marzouk: "Yes. Inside Israel, in the West Bank, and everywhere."
Interviewer: "We spoke with many of their representatives, and they are fearful that any act of the kind you suggest would lead to their citizenship being revoked…"
Abu Marzouk: "Their cowardice will not protect them from humiliation that will be their lot.
[…]
"So far we have not even managed to make a list of all [the hostages]. The truth is that we do not need [the foreign nationals] among them. We want to release them but they should at least stop shooting."
Interviewer: "Does that mean they are held by different factions or in different places? Why can’t you [make a list]?"
Abu Marzouk: "Both are true. They are held by different factions. Some are held by the Qassam brigades. They are held in various places. So both things are true.
[…]
"You Expect Me To Fit 2.5 Million [Gazans] In [Hamas's] Tunnels?"
"We have built those tunnels, and now it became clear why. Thanks to those tunnels, we are fighting the occupiers and we will defeat them.
[…]
"Do you want me to get two million people [into the tunnels]? There is no agriculture in Gaza, there are no streets, and you expect me to fit 2.5 million people in the tunnels? If [Israel] discovers the tunnels, it has bombs capable of destroying them."
