Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement called on its Islamist rivals Hamas on Saturday to relinquish power in order to safeguard the “existence” of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas must show compassion for Gaza, its children, women and men,” Fatah spokesman Monther Al Hayek said in a message sent to AFP from Gaza. He called on Hamas to “step aside from governing and fully recognise that the battle ahead will lead to the end of Palestinians’ existence” if it remains in power in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas accused the United States of distorting the truth by saying the Palestinian group had chosen war with Israel by refusing to release hostages.
“The claim that ‘Hamas chose war instead of releasing the hostages’ is a distortion of the facts,” Hamas said in a statement in response to the accusation from US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes on Tuesday.
He had said: “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”
The Palestinian group added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “rejected these initiatives and deliberately sabotaged them to serve his political interests,” referring to criticism he has faced in Israel, including from families of hostages held in Gaza.
Israel resumed air strikes on Gaza on Tuesday before sending troops back into areas evacuated during the pause in fighting. It came after weeks of disagreement with Hamas over extending the ceasefire that took effect on January 19.
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