Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has emphasized that the actions and policies of Hamas, the Islamist group governing the Gaza Strip, do not represent the Palestinian people. During a phone conversation with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, Abbas called for the release of hostages and prisoners from both sides, while advocating for peaceful resistance to end Israel’s occupation.
Abbas expressed his concern over the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and stressed the immediate need to halt it. The recent incidents in which hundreds of Hamas militants crossed the border into Israel, resulting in a massacre, have led to ongoing attacks between Israeli forces and militant Palestinians firing rockets towards Israel.
As the leader of the Fatah faction within the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Abbas has limited influence in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Hamas’ control since their seizure of power in 2007. Reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas have been ongoing for years, but Abbas reiterated that the PLO remains the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
It is worth noting that Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States, and Israel.
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