Fatah, the ruling party in the West Bank, has urged its rival Hamas to relinquish power in Gaza, warning that its continued rule threatens the very “existence” of Palestinians in the enclave.
A temporary ceasefire reached in January had brought relative calm to the nearly 18-month-long conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza.
However, Gazans were once again fleeing for their lives after Israel launched a large-scale air and ground offensive against Hamas on Tuesday, following the end of the first phase of the temporary ceasefire earlier this month.
Hamas wants to move to a second phase of the ceasefire deal, under which Israel would be required to negotiate an end to the war and withdraw its troops from Gaza, while Israeli hostages still held there would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel, however, has only offered a temporary extension of the truce, cut off all supplies to Gaza, and restarted its military campaign to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
The conflict began after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities near the Gaza border in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas, 58 have not returned from captivity. Israeli officials say 34 are dead.
Since Tuesday, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in aerial bombardments carried about by Israel.
In total, Israel’s retaliatory attacks since October 2023, have killed nearly 50,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health authorities.
On Saturday, Monther al-Hayek, the spokesman for Fatah, the ruling party in the West Bank, urged Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza.
“Hamas must show compassion for Gaza, its children, women, and men,” al-Hayek said in a message to AFP.
He called on Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007 from the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, to “step aside from governing and fully recognize that the battle ahead will lead to the end of Palestinians’ existence” if it remains in power.
However, Gazans were once again fleeing for their lives after Israel launched a large-scale air and ground offensive against Hamas on Tuesday, following the end of the first phase of the temporary ceasefire earlier this month.
Hamas wants to move to a second phase of the ceasefire deal, under which Israel would be required to negotiate an end to the war and withdraw its troops from Gaza, while Israeli hostages still held there would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
Israel, however, has only offered a temporary extension of the truce, cut off all supplies to Gaza, and restarted its military campaign to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
The conflict began after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities near the Gaza border in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas, 58 have not returned from captivity. Israeli officials say 34 are dead.
Since Tuesday, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed in aerial bombardments carried about by Israel.
In total, Israel’s retaliatory attacks since October 2023, have killed nearly 50,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health authorities.
On Saturday, Monther al-Hayek, the spokesman for Fatah, the ruling party in the West Bank, urged Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza.
“Hamas must show compassion for Gaza, its children, women, and men,” al-Hayek said in a message to AFP.
He called on Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007 from the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, to “step aside from governing and fully recognize that the battle ahead will lead to the end of Palestinians’ existence” if it remains in power.
Calls for ceasefire
On Saturday, Britain, France, and Germany called for an immediate return to a ceasefire in Gaza and urged Israel to restore humanitarian access.
“We call on Israel to restore humanitarian access, including water and electricity, and ensure access to medical care and temporary medical evacuations in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the foreign ministers of the three countries, known as the E3, said in a statement.
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