A prominent leader from Hamas lost his composure and abruptly ended a live interview when questioned about the October 7, 2023, attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, a long-serving head of foreign relations for Hamas and a co-founder of the group, attempted to rationalize the group’s actions by describing Hamas as fulfilling its “national duty” and acting as “resistance to occupation” during an Arabic television interview. 

The interviewer challenged him, asking if these attacks had benefited the Palestinian cause or brought meaningful results for Palestinians, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.

“These are your questions. Show some respect for yourself. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see you. Cut it out. Cut it out. Go to hell,” Marzouk responded.

His remarks, broadcast on the Egyptian-based Pan-Arab Al-Ghad’s “With Wael,” quickly gained traction on social media and emerged amidst increasing internal conflict and disorder within Hamas as the war draws to a close.

Once viewed as a poised representative for Hamas, Arab analysts interpreted his televised outburst as indicative of a growing divide among the group’s leadership while Gaza remains devastated.

Jamal Nazzal, a spokesperson for the Palestinian political and nationalist movement Fatah, slammed Marzouk’s remarks.

Nazzal said his comments were “a disgrace that exposes the moral and political bankruptcy of a crumbling group that can no longer look people in the eye,” according to The Jerusalem Post. 

Earlier this year, Marzouk expressed regret over the Oct. 7 attacks, telling The New York Times he would not have supported the attack if he had known of the havoc it would wreak on Gaza.

“If it was expected that what happened would happen, there wouldn’t have been Oct. 7,” he said.

Marzouk has been described in multiple reports as a billionaire, though his exact fortune remains unclear. 

In a statement posted after The New York Times’ story, Hamas said that the comments were “incorrect” and taken out of context.

The Israeli government approved and signed the first phase of the President Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza overnight Thursday. The agreement includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.