Mahmoud Abbas called Hamas the “son of a dog” in a fierce speech, demanding that the group release its still-holding, lift the hostages controlled by Gaza to end the war with Israel.
At a meeting held in the occupied West Bank, Hamas gave Israel an “excusation” to continue the attack on Gaza and told it to “release the hostages and take it to complete.”
These remarks are the most powerful opposition group the president has paid since the war began 18 months ago.
An official in Hamas condemned what he called Abbas’s “derogatory language” towards “a part of his own people…”
Last week, the group rejected Israel’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, including demands for disarmament in exchange for six weeks of hostilities and the release of 10 of the 59 hostages.
Hamas reiterated that it would hand over all hostages in exchange for the end of the war and the entire evacuation of Israel. It also ruled out abandoning weapons.
The PA has been led by Abbas and dominated by his Fatah movement, and has ruled part of the West Bank only one year after Hamas won the legislative elections.
PA leadership regularly insists on taking over post-war Gaza. However, Palestinians criticized it for not speaking out loud or taking effective action.
Abbas lashed out at Hamas during his angry speech by Ramallah.
“Hamas gives a career of crime [Israel] The most prominent excuse for crime in the Gaza Strip is the detention of hostages. ” he said.
“Son of the dog, just release the person you are holding and finish it. Close their excuses and avoid us.”
The president also said Hamas must “transfer” responsibility for Gaza and its weapons and turn it into a political party.
According to AFP News, Bassem Naim, a member of the Hamas Politburo, criticized Abbas’s decision for “describing an important part of his people in derogatory language.”
He added: “Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously blamed the crimes of occupation and its ongoing aggression against our people.”
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have been severely divided for decades as their rift ensures a unified Palestinian leader in the West Bank and Gaza.
Abbas, 89, is seen as irrelevant by many Palestinians.
He has been in power without elections for years, presided over the PA, whose critics see it as invalid and, worst of all, corruption. Hamas basically accused it of working with Israel.
First responders say they recovered 10 bodies after Israel’s strike in Gaza City [Reuters]
Israel began blocking all humanitarian aid and commercial supplies from delivering to Gaza on March 2 and resumed its offensive two weeks later, saying the pressure would force Hamas to release the rest of the hostages.
Since then, at least 1,928 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in Gaza, according to data from Hamas’ Ministry of Health in the region.
According to Hamas-run civil defense agency, it was killed in an Israeli air strike at a school near Tafa, northeast of Gaza City, which was used as a shelter for displaced families on Tuesday night.
The Civil Defense said its first responders also recovered four other bodies from attacks on two houses in the same area.
The Israeli military said it was inspecting the report.
Meanwhile, the United Nations warned that the 52-day Israeli blockade deprived Gaza of 2.1 million people “a basic necessity for human survival.” It reports that hospitals have severe shortage of malnutrition and medication.
Foreign ministers in Britain, France and Germany called on Israel to end the lockdown on Wednesday, saying it was “unbearable.”
“We urge Israel to immediately restart the rapid and unhindered movement of humanitarian assistance to Gaza to meet the needs of all civilians,” a joint statement said.
However, Israel insists that it is fully compliant with international law and has provided Gaza with adequate food and other aid to keep the population alive for several months during the last two months of ceasefire.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, with about 1,200 people killed and another 251 were taken hostage.
More than 51,300 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the region’s Ministry of Health.
