Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas lashed out at Hamas in a televised address from Ramallah, calling the group “sons of d0gs” and demanding they free all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and surrender their weapons.
He insisted that ending what he described as an Israeli “genocide” in Gaza must take priority—and that continuing to hold hostages only provides Israel with a pretext to escalate its assault.
“Sons of dogs, release the hostages and block their justifications,” Abbas said in a lengthy televised speech from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
Israel has vehemently denied accusations of genocide, saying its war in Gaza is being fought in self-defence and targets Hamas.
The unprecedented remarks are perhaps Abbas’s strongest public criticism of Hamas to date and mark a significant shift in tone from the ageing Palestinian leader. They come amid a renewed push to advance ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt also floating the idea of the group’s disarmament recently.
Abbas outlined a six-point vision for Gaza’s future under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). He said Hamas must relinquish control of the Gaza Strip, hand over all governance to the PLO and PNA, and transition into a political party operating under Palestinian law and international norms—“refraining entirely from carrying arms.”
He accused Hamas of inflicting “severe damage to the Palestinian cause” since seizing Gaza in 2007, arguing that the group’s hostage-taking has given Israel “free justifications” for its military operations. Abbas also renewed calls for an international peace conference and full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions demanding Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Hamas swiftly rejected his remarks, questioning Abbas’s authority and insisting he unfairly blames Palestinians for the occupation’s violence. The two factions have been locked in bitter rivalry since Hamas’s electoral victory in 2006 and subsequent takeover of Gaza.
Abbas echoed long-standing Fatah demands for Palestinian unity under the PLO umbrella—an effort that has repeatedly faltered, despite reconciliation agreements in Cairo (2017) and Beijing (2024).
