Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas called on Hamas on Wednesday to release all hostages, saying that their detention gives Israel justifications to carry out attacks on Gaza, as rescuers discovered burned bodies from an Israeli airstrike.
Israeli strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 25 individuals throughout the isolated area, while Germany, France, and Britain urged Israel to lift its aid blockade.
On March 18, Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza, concluding a ceasefire that had mainly halted fighting and allowed for the release of 33 hostages in exchange for approximately 1,800 Palestinians held by Israel.
Efforts to establish a new ceasefire have, to date, not led to any significant progress, and a Hamas team is currently in Cairo for renewed discussions with mediators from Egypt and Qatar.
“You sons of dogs, hand over what you have and get us out of this ordeal, he added, levelling a harsh Arabic epithet at Hamas.
“Hamas has given the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the holding of hostages,” Abbas said in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“I’m the one paying the price, our people are paying the price, not Israel. My brother, just hand them over.” Abbas said.
The relationship between Abbas’ Fatah party and Hamas has been strained, characterised by political and ideological rifts for nearly two decades.
Abbas and the Palestinian Authority have frequently accused Hamas of jeopardising Palestinian solidarity, while Hamas has criticised Abbas for cooperating with Israel and suppressing dissent in the West Bank.
Since the onset of the conflict following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, tens of thousands of displaced individuals from Gaza have sought shelter in schools.
Aid organisations estimate that a significant majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced at least once.
