On the brink of civil war? Hamas threatens Palestinian Authority as clashes in West Bank escalate
Palestinian Authority security forces continue their operation to regain control of the West Bank city of Jenin. Hamas accused it of killing 19 "martyrs" and warned that there will be "grave consequences."
Palestinian Authority forces disperse a protest against the security operation in Jenin, West Bank.
The Hamas terrorist group, which controls the Gaza Strip and is engaged in a war with Israel following the October 7 massacre, has threatened the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which governs the West Bank – over its ongoing operation in Jenin aimed at regaining control of the city from members of the radical Islamist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
In a statement released Friday, Hamas warned that "the executions and assassinations, which have left 19 martyrs since operation Al-Aqsa Storm (the October 7 massacre), will have serious consequences domestically and in Palestinian society."
Hamas further demanded that President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority cease what it considers persecutions against "our people" and stop operations that "only serve the occupation (Hamas's way of referring to Israel).
In its statement, Hamas also called on West Bank Palestinians to intervene to pressure the Palestinian Authority to "prevent further crimes and violations against the Palestinian people and their courageous resistance, and to make every effort to lift the siege imposed on Jenin for the second consecutive month."
Anwar Rajab, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority security forces, said yesterday that during the operation, dubbed “Defense of the Homeland,” which began last December 14, three gunmen have been killed and 247 criminals have been arrested, 41 of whom were injured either during clashes or for resisting arrest.
Rajab added that Palestinian forces managed to defuse 17 car bombs and detected two others. He also said that they discovered three explosive manufacturing centers located in residential areas and 16 weapons caches, some of which were hidden in mosques or in the buildings of charitable organizations.
The Palestinian Authority banned 'Al-Jazeera' activities in the West Bank
Fatah, the PA's largest political party, announced late last December that it had banned the Qatari news network Al-Jazeera from operating in the territories under its control in the West Bank, according to Israeli newspaper Ynet.
The party's move is related to its coverage of clashes between PA forces and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin.
According to the Palestinian leadership, Al-Jazeera incited violence against PA security forces.
LATEST
