Key facts
- Hamas condemned the Palestinian Authority for arresting resistance fighters and activists in the West Bank.
- The group called for an immediate end to the PA's security coordination with Israel.
- Hamas stated that the arrests serve Israeli goals and harm the Palestinian cause.
- The condemnation follows an incident where PA security forces' operation led to the accidental death of two children.
- Hamas urged the PA to halt political arrests and release all detainees.
Hamas has strongly condemned the Palestinian Authority's (PA) recent arrests of Palestinian resistance members and activists in the occupied West Bank, labeling the actions as a "poisoned stab in the back" and a "dangerous overreach" that serves Israeli interests.
The group criticized the PA's "security coordination" with Israel, urging its immediate cessation. Hamas accused the PA of suppressing resistance and stated that Israel's subsequent arrest of individuals released from PA prisons constituted a "national crime."
In a statement, Hamas highlighted the arrests, particularly in Jenin, targeting leaders, activists, and students, as directly aiding the enemy's objectives of pursuing resistance fighters and "emptying our national arena of its best sons." The movement warned of the dangers of the PA's "repressive and unpatriotic approach" and the alleged torture and abuse of detainees.
Hamas also cited a recent incident where PA security forces' operation to arrest a wanted individual resulted in the accidental deaths of two children, aged 16 and four, along with their father, Samer Samara. The group described this as a "serious crime" and a "black mark" on the PA's record, arguing that the PA used force against its own people instead of protecting them.
The movement called for an immediate halt to all political arrests, the release of all detainees held for their national positions, and for efforts to be directed towards confronting the Israeli occupation rather than exhausting Palestinian energies internally.