Gaza control a must: Palestine's President sets terms for Hamas integration
Shafaq News/ Hamas must hand over control of Gaza, disarm, release hostages, and operate as a political party under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Wednesday.
In a televised speech at the opening of the Palestinian Central Council session in Ramallah, Abbas urged an end to the internal Palestinian division that has persisted since 2007, stressing the need to unify all Palestinian factions under the PLO, which he described as "the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."
Abbas condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, asserting that it justified the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza. "The attack caused widespread destruction and humanitarian suffering across the Strip."
He accused Hamas of giving "the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip," pointing in particular to the holding of hostages. “I’m the one paying the price, our people are paying the price—not Israel. Just hand them over.”
As speculation grows that Abbas may soon name a successor, observers say the remarks are an effort to reassure international partners of the Palestinian Authority’s stability and relevance.
He also appealed to world leaders to pressure Israel to end its military operations, withdraw forces, and halt settlement expansion, insisting that “there can be no peace” without the establishment of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.
Hamas has previously rejected Abbas’s peace strategy and accused him of suppressing militant groups in the West Bank.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that since hostilities resumed on March 18, at least 1,928 civilians have been killed. The overall toll since October 7, 2023, now stands at 51,305 with more than 117,000 wounded.
