The administration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemns the extrajudicial killings of civilians in the Gaza Strip by members of the radical Hamas movement, WAFA news agency reported.
“Hamas seeks to reestablish its rule over the population through force and terror“, the statement said. “Extrajudicial killings have been carried out in various areas of the Gaza Strip in recent days, claiming dozens of lives.“
The statement noted that “these heinous crimes are being committed at a time when the Palestinian people are suffering from the devastating effects of war and blockade“. “We consider such actions by Hamas unacceptable and regard them as a gross violation of human rights and a serious attack on the rule of law“, the statement stressed.
The Abbas administration calls for an immediate end to violence and claims that Hamas is undermining efforts to unify the institutions of a Palestinian state. “We demand that all those responsible for attacks on defenseless civilians be brought to justice“, the statement said. “Hamas' attempts to consolidate its power in the Gaza Strip contradict the supreme interests of the Palestinian people and create a pretext for prolonging the occupation.“
On October 14, the newspaper “Asharq al-Awsat“ reported on gunfire between Hamas fighters and Arab tribal self-defense units in the As-Sabra and Tel al-Hawa neighborhoods of Gaza City. According to the newspaper, both sides suffered casualties in the clashes, which have been ongoing since October 11. The radicals eventually drove the militias out of a Jordanian field hospital that had been serving as shelter for their families.