West Bank, April 23, 2025: In his most scathing criticism since the war began nearly two years ago, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned Hamas as “sons of dogs” and demanded the group release all hostages, disarm, and relinquish control of Gaza to end the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Speaking at a meeting of the Palestinian Central Council in Ramallah, Abbas accused Hamas of providing Israel with “excuses” to prolong its military campaign. “Hamas has given the criminal occupation [Israel] justifications for its crimes in Gaza, the most prominent being the continued holding of hostages,” he said. “Sons of dogs, just release whoever you’re holding and be done with it. Shut down their excuses and spare us.”
The 89-year-old leader called for Hamas to surrender control of Gaza and its weaponry to the PA and to transition into a purely political entity. His comments mark the harshest public rebuke of Hamas since the militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007, following its victory in the 2006 legislative elections.
A Hamas official, Bassem Naim, condemned Abbas’s language, saying it insulted “a significant and integral part of his own people” and accused Abbas of deflecting blame for Israel’s military actions.
The remarks come days after Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire proposal that would have paused hostilities for six weeks in exchange for the release of 10 out of 59 remaining hostages and a commitment to disarm. Hamas reiterated that it would only release all hostages in return for a complete Israeli military withdrawal and the end of the war—terms Israel has repeatedly rejected.
In a separate development, Hamas released a video on Wednesday showing Omri Miran, a 48-year-old Israeli-Hungarian hostage, in an underground tunnel. His family responded emotionally, citing the timing on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, calling it a “moral failure” of the Israeli government.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has continued to deteriorate. Overnight, an Israeli airstrike targeted a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood, killing at least 10 people, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency. The building housed displaced families, many of whom were asleep when the strike occurred.
A survivor told BBC Arabic, “We woke up to fire surrounding us from all sides. My daughters suffered burns. A woman with us was taken to the hospital—we still don’t know her condition. Several young people were burned alive.”
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command center in the area, alleging that militants were using civilians as human shields—a charge Hamas denies.
The United Nations warned that Israel’s 52-day blockade has deprived Gaza’s 2.1 million residents of essential supplies, with growing malnutrition and severe shortages of medicine. On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany called on Israel to lift the blockade, deeming it “intolerable.”
In a joint statement, they urged the resumption of humanitarian aid, criticized recent statements by Israeli officials about plans to remain in Gaza post-war, and reminded Israel of its obligations under international law.
Israel rejected accusations of aid politicization, saying 25,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza during the previous ceasefire. “Israel is fighting Hamas, which steals humanitarian aid and hides behind civilians. Hamas is responsible for this war and for the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
The current war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented cross-border assault on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry says more than 51,300 people have been killed in Israeli operations, including over 1,900 since the blockade resumed in March 2025.
