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Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas demanded Hamas disarm, relinquish power and release the hostages.
The Palestinian leader said that by letting the hostages go, Hamas would “shut down” Israel’s “excuses” to continue the war that began after the terror group’s massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The first priority is to stop the war of extermination in Gaza. It must be stopped – hundreds are being killed every day,” Abbas said, according to the Times of Israel. “Why don’t you hand over the hostages?”
The Palestinian Authority president also apparently called Hamas “sons of dogs” during his address.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 23, 2025. (Reuters/Mohammed Torokman)
It is unclear whether Hamas will comply with Abbas’ demand, despite his assertion that it could help end the war and save Palestinian lives in Gaza. Hamas and the PA have been at odds for nearly two decades, since the terror organization seized power in 2006 and pushed the PA out of Gaza.
The international community has pushed for the PA to play a role in a “day after” plan for Gaza, but Israel has not been receptive to this idea.
President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fox News | Saudi Press Agency via AP)
The Israeli government and the Trump administration have long criticized the PA’s “pay for slay” policy, which Abbas reformed in February of this year. The policy saw payments go to family members of Palestinians who were imprisoned, killed or injured in connection with attacks against Israelis.
“This is a new fraudulent trick by the Palestinian Authority, which intends to continue making payments to terrorists and their families through other payment channels,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said at the time, according to Axios.