A senior Hamas official has sharply criticized recent comments by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing him of distorting facts and obstructing reconciliation efforts amid ongoing talks over Gaza's post-war governance.
Speaking to Al Manassa, a Hamas official who requested anonymity said Abbas' remarks to Al Arabiya TV were “detached from reality and full of falsehoods.”
In the interview, Abbas claimed to have negotiated “dozens of times” with Hamas without success, and reiterated calls for the group to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and its obligations under international law.
“Hamas must recognize the PLO and its legal commitments. I tell Hamas: we are one state and one people. Hamas must commit to one state and one source of arms,” he said.
Abbas also called on Hamas to relinquish its weapons and allow the Palestinian Authority to assume control over Gaza, while expressing openness to Arab or international participation in governing the besieged enclave.
“If there is one person responsible for stalling national reconciliation, it is President Abbas, and that is the consensus among Palestinian factions and the Egyptian mediation team,” the Hamas official added.
He further revealed that a July 2023 meeting in Egypt's New Alamein city had nearly yielded a breakthrough. Hamas had agreed, unconditionally, to a reconciliation document authored by senior Fatah leaders Mahmoud Al-Aloul and Jibril Rajoub. But Abbas later introduced new amendments through the Egyptian mediator, effectively derailing the deal.
“When we saw the changes proposed by Abbas, it was clear to us and to the Egyptian side that they were intended to sabotage the agreement,” the official added.
Longstanding feud
Hamas and Fatah have been locked in a bitter rivalry since Hamas's surprise victory in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections. Tensions erupted into violence in 2007, when Hamas seized control of Gaza following deadly clashes with Fatah forces. Abbas dismissed then-Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and declared a state of emergency, while Hamas expelled Fatah from the territory.
Israel responded to Hamas's takeover by intensifying its blockade of Gaza. The political rift has left the Palestinian territories divided, with the PA governing the West Bank and Hamas ruling Gaza.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel, triggering a devastating Israeli assault on Gaza that continues to date.
PA proposals face resistance
Responding to Abbas's suggestion that the PA is prepared to govern Gaza with Arab or international backing, the Hamas official said the group had already accepted an Egyptian proposal. This would transfer civil administration of Gaza to a community-led support committee under the umbrella of the Ramallah-based government.
“We were fully cooperative,” he said. “But Abbas blocked this initiative, too.”
In a recent proposal, Egypt and Qatar outlined a plan that includes “freezing” Hamas's armed resistance and handing over Gaza's governance to an Arab-Palestinian committee until a new Palestinian security apparatus can be formed. In return, Israel would halt its military campaign and begin reconstruction.
“Hamas does not oppose international forces in principle,” the official said. “But any such deployment must be time-bound, with clear parameters, and should fill a role that Palestinian actors cannot currently perform.”
He also pushed back against Abbas's call for Hamas to disarm. “That might be expected from the occupation, but for the Palestinian president to say this is both shocking and revealing. What model of resistance has he offered in the West Bank?”
Daily Israeli raids in the occupied territory have continued unabated, he said, “without any protective role played by PA security forces.”
Hamas has consistently rejected surrendering its weapons, insisting that armed resistance remains a legitimate right under international law until a sovereign Palestinian state is established.
Islamic Jihad backs armed resistance
Islamic Jihad spokesperson Mohammad Al-Haj Musa told Al Manassa the group supports any deal that ensures Palestinian blood is spared and Israeli forces withdraw. But he stressed that any arrangement must preserve “the constants of the resistance.”
“Our weapons are a source of dignity and are protected by international law,” Musa added. “We are united in our view that arms can only be set aside once an independent Palestinian state exists. At that point, they would become the tools of the future state's army and police.”
Arab oversight eyed for transition
Ayman Al-Raqab, a political science professor at Al-Quds University, said Abbas's comments on Arab or international involvement are an attempt to assuage Israeli fears of a Hamas-led Gaza.
“He wants to undercut Netanyahu's narrative that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup,” Al-Raqab told Al Manassa.
Last month, Israel's security cabinet endorsed a plan for “full military control” over Gaza City, drawing widespread international condemnation.
“We need an international-Arab mechanism to oversee the first phase of Gaza's recovery,” Al-Raqab said. “That could provide some reassurance to Israel and help stabilize the situation on the ground.”
He emphasized that any new governing structure would ultimately need Hamas's approval. “No arrangement will work without coordination with Hamas. Otherwise, it would set the stage for renewed conflict.”
Controversial US proposal resurfaces
The Washington Post recently reported that a revived Trump-era proposal is circulating in US policy circles. The plan envisions a long-term US-led administration of post-war Gaza, including the temporary relocation of residents and a complete transformation of the enclave into a “Mediterranean Riviera.”
Under the plan, displaced Palestinians would receive cash payouts and rental support for four years. The proposal has sparked fears of mass displacement and has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian leaders and human rights organizations.
