‘you Sons Of Dogs’: Palestinian President Abbas Calls On Hamas To Free Hostages

[KARAH RUCKER]

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMUD ABBAS IS CALLING ON HAMAS TO RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES AND RELINQUISH CONTROL OF GAZA TO HIS PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY.

ABBAS SAYS AS LONG AS CAPTIVES ARE HELD BY HAMAS MILITANTS, ISRAEL HAS “EXCUSES” TO CONTINUE MILITARY STRIKES IN GAZA.

ABBAS SAID, “I’M NOT PAYING THE PRICE, OUR PEOPLE ARE PAYING THE PRICE, NOT ISRAEL. MY BROTHER, JUST HAND THEM OVER” WHILE USING AN ARABIC EPITHET TO DESCRIBE THE TERRORIST GROUP.

HAMAS CALLED ABBAS’ COMMENTS “INSULTING” AND RELEASED A VIDEO OF AN ISRAELI HOSTAGE WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF  AS 48-YEAR-OLD OMRI MIRAN.

THE PALESTINIAN LEADER’S DEMANDS COME AS ISRAELI STRIKES KILLED MORE THAN TWO DOZEN PEOPLE AND AS FRANCE, GERMANY AND BRITAIN REQUEST ISRAEL ALLOW THE UNRESTRICTED FLOW OF HUMANITARIAN AID INTO THE ENCLAVE. WARNING, GAZANS FACE “AN ACUTE RISK OF STARVATION, EPIDEMIC DISEASE AND DEATH.”

ABBAS’ DEMAND FOR HAMAS TO FREE THE HOSTAGES CAME WHILE HE SPOKE AT A LEADERSHIP COUNCIL… WHERE HE IS EXPECTED TO NAME A SUCCESSOR WITHIN DAYS. HE IS FACING PRESSURE FROM ARAB AND WESTERN NATIONS TO DO SO AS SOME QUESTION HIS PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY’S ABILITY TO SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO ONGOING PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.

ISRAEL LAUNCHED A NEW MILITARY CAMPAIGN LAST MONTH FOLLOWING AN END TO A CEASEFIRE WITH HAMAS THAT SAW THE RELEASE OF 33 HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR ROUGHLY 18-HUNDRED PALESTINIAN PRISONERS.

SINCE ISRAEL’S RENEWED MILITARY PUSH, NEARLY TWO-THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN GAZA, BRINGING THE DEATH TOLL TO MORE THAN 51-THOUSAND, ACCORDING TO THE HAMAS-CONTROLLED GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY. THE MINISTRY DOESN’T DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CIVILIANS AND COMBATANTS.

NEGOTIATIONS ON A NEW CEASEFIRE HAVE SO FAR FAILED TO MATERIALIZE AS HAMAS’ DELEGATION REMAINS IN CAIRO FOR TALKS WITH MEDIATORS FROM QATAR AND EGYPT.

ABBAS PREVIOUSLY DEMANDED HAMAS PUT ITS MILITANTS UNDER HIS PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY’S CONTROL, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HE’S DONE SO SINCE ISRAEL WAR AGAINST HAMAS BEGAN IN OCTOBER OF 2023.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M KARAH RUCKER.