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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.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
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