Hamas has condemned the appointment of Hussein Al-Sheikh as the first vice president in Palestinian history, calling it a move driven by external pressures and a continuation of unilateral decision-making that excludes national consensus and popular will.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the group said Palestinian priorities should focus on "stopping the war of extermination and starvation" and uniting efforts against Israeli occupation, not "dividing authority positions to satisfy external parties." Hamas also urged all Palestinian factions to reject the appointment and push for rebuilding the PLO on national and democratic foundations.
Al-Sheikh's appointment came after the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) approved his nomination on Saturday following a proposal by President Mahmoud Abbas.
The move, formalized during a meeting chaired by Abbas in Ramallah on Saturday, April 27, aligns with a resolution passed by the PLO's Central Council two days earlier. The resolution establishes a new position that allows the president to nominate and dismiss a deputy, subject to Executive Committee approval.
Al-Sheikh, who now serves as vice president of both the PLO and the State of Palestine, is seen as a front-runner to succeed Abbas, according to Palestinian officials and analysts cited by the BBC. The appointment drew no immediate comment from Hamas or other Palestinian factions.
A veteran of the Palestinian political scene, Al-Sheikh spent more than a decade in Israeli prisons in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He served as head of the Palestinian General Authority of Civil Affairs, responsible for managing day-to-day coordination with Israel, from 2019 until February 2025.
In 2022, Al-Sheikh was named secretary-general of the PLO's Executive Committee, taking over the negotiations portfolio after the death of chief negotiator Saeb Erekat. He also heads the Palestinian Embassies Committee, overseeing diplomatic missions abroad.
Al-Sheikh has said that the Palestinian leadership must focus on "ending the war in Gaza and reasserting PLO and Palestinian Authority control over Gaza and the West Bank."
While Egypt welcomed the appointment, calling it a step towards Palestinian unity and reform, Palestinian factions, other than Hamas, have remained silent.
Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo late on Saturday, April 26, discussing efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas said discussions included its proposal for a "comprehensive deal" involving a truce, prisoner exchanges, and humanitarian aid.
On the ground fighting intensified as Israeli forces stepped up artillery shelling and demolition of residential areas in Gaza City early Sunday, April 27. Local reports said more than 40 Palestinians were killed in 24 hours, including entire families buried under rubble.
The escalation came after the collapse of a U.S.-Qatari-Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, with Israel refusing to proceed to the next phase of the agreement and blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza.
