Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the militant group Hamas to abandon the war in the Gaza Strip, hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority and turn into a political party. Abbas made his comments in a speech during a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he is expected to name a successor, part of efforts to address international doubts about the Palestinian Authority's viability at a critical moment for the region.
"Hamas must hand over its responsibilities in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority and transform itself into a political party," Abbas said.
He has criticized the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which he said gave Israel a pretext to destroy Gaza. Hamas, which opposes Abbas's efforts to reach peace with Israel, has accused him of cracking down on militant factions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He did not immediately comment on Abbas's new comments.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced families in northern Gaza killed at least 10 people, while another rocket hit a children's hospital, local health authorities said. Doctors said the airstrike on the school in the Tuffah area of Gaza City set tents and classrooms on fire. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the attack on the school. Some furniture was still ablaze hours after the strike, as people searched through blackened classrooms and the schoolyard for their belongings.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Germany, France and the United Kingdom called on Israel to end its blockade of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip and strongly criticized reports of a possible permanent military presence there. "Israel's decision to block humanitarian access to Gaza is unacceptable," their statement said.
The top diplomats also described as "unacceptable" Israel's plans to remain in the Gaza Strip after the war ends, as well as the "recent statements" of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who described the lack of aid deliveries as a "tool of pressure" against the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. (A2 Televizion)
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