All Palestinians “praised and cheered” Oct. 7, admits Abbas’ advisor

• Abbas' advisor: "Emotionally Oct. 7 stirred the emotions of all of us"

Criticizing Hamas for the "disaster" suffered by Palestinians because of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 massacre and ensuing war, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' advisor admitted that the massacre itself was "praised and cheered" by Palestinians. In fact, the murder of over 1,100 Israelis including over 800 civilians, the wounding of over 5,000, and the kidnapping of 251 "stirred their emotions":

Abbas' advisor Al-Habbash: "On Oct. 7, [2023,] everyone praised [it] and cheered as if we had liberated Jerusalem, [but] things are not achieved this way. Things are judged by their results and consequences… Oct. 7 was a disaster for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause – in terms of results. Emotionally… it stirred the emotions of all of us. That is something else. But in terms of consequences, the political results, and the realistic considerations, no, it was a disaster."

[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, July 5, 2025]

Not once has the PA condemned Hamas' murder, beheading, rape, and torture of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. The only criticism ever voiced by PA officials has been against Hamas' unilateral decision to launch the attack without consulting the PLO, and against the destruction they have brought on the Gaza Strip.

Al-Habbash – who felt that Oct. 7 was celebrated "as if we liberated Jerusalem" - has repeatedly defended Hamas' atrocities:

Al-Habbash: "What Hamas carried out on Oct. 7… resistance is legitimate. We agreed from the start that the resistance is legitimate... What happened on Oct. 7 is a legitimate thing, okay? It's legitimate."

[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, March 11, 2025]

On the other hand, he is explicit in condemning Hamas, and its parent organization the Muslim Brotherhood for Palestinian suffering in Gaza:

Al-Habbash: "The Muslim Brotherhood organization, the satanic brotherhood, is the greatest disaster that has befallen the Arab and Islamic region during the last century… Give me one state where the Muslim Brotherhood is present and they haven't created a civil war there and destroyed the society."

[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, July 5, 2025]