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Did You Know Mahmoud Abbas Praised Hamas Leader After His Death?
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Palestinian Authority (PA) leader Mahmoud Abbas once again showed his true colors — and his support for terrorism — when he flew to Qatar to meet with two sons of dead Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
At the meeting, Abbas conveyed his condolences, and praised their terrorist father for his “virtues on the path of the Palestinian national struggle”:
Official PA TV newsreader: “At his place of stay in the Qatari capital, Doha, [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas received two sons of late Hamas Movement Political Bureau Chairman national leader Martyr Ismail Haniyeh, and they are Abd Al-Salam and Humam Haniyeh.
His Honor [Abbas] conveyed his condolences to the two children of the national leader Martyr and recalled his virtues on the path of the Palestinian national struggle.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV News, Oct. 2, 2024]
Abbas showing his support for Hamas leaders is expected.
Hamas’ popularity is unchallenged among Palestinians, and therefore, any political leadership role that Abbas aspires to will need the support of Hamas.
Throughout the current Gaza war (and prior to it) the PA has wooed Hamas and has repeatedly called for unity.
In July, the two factions even signed a declaration of unity. One of Abbas’ own advisors has been at the forefront of this unity effort.
Mahmoud Al-Habbash has stressed that terror organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad are “integral parts of the Palestinian people,” and stated that Hamas is “part of the people” and “in every Palestinian home”:
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “We have said clearly and explicitly: Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian national fabric, and we will not be able to agree to its exclusion…”
Nas Radio host: “There were leaks … that there is a proposal for prisoner exchanges in return for stopping the war and removing Hamas leaders from the Gaza Strip. What is your position?”
Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “We cannot agree to any Palestinian being forced to leave his homeland … Palestine is the homeland of all the Palestinians. It is the homeland of the members of Hamas, Fatah, [Islamic] Jihad, the left-wing, and the right-wing.” [emphasis added]
[Facebook page, Jan. 10, 2024]
Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “Hamas is part of the Palestinian people. It is part of the national and social fabric and exists in all the Palestinian territories and in all parts of the Palestinian people. The empty claim that Israel wants to eliminate Hamas is just an excuse Israel is using to extend the war. In reality this is not something possible, because Hamas is in every Palestinian home.”
[Facebook page, Aug. 8, 2024]
That “every Palestinian home” supports Hamas is supported by polls, as Palestinian Media Watch has reported. The polls show that 98% of Palestinians felt “pride” over Hamas’ atrocities on Oct. 7, 2023. As stated, this popular support for Hamas’ terrorism against Israel is the main reason why Abbas and Fatah need to unite with their political rivals.
The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.
The post Did You Know Mahmoud Abbas Praised Hamas Leader After His Death? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.