Abbas Threatens to Take 'Strategic Decisions' in Wake of Israeli Aggression

Muslim worshippers wrapped in the Palestinian flags pray during the holy month of Ramadan in front of the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, April 15, 2022. (AP)
Muslim worshippers wrapped in the Palestinian flags pray during the holy month of Ramadan in front of the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, April 15, 2022. (AP)
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Abbas Threatens to Take 'Strategic Decisions' in Wake of Israeli Aggression

Muslim worshippers wrapped in the Palestinian flags pray during the holy month of Ramadan in front of the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, April 15, 2022. (AP)
Muslim worshippers wrapped in the Palestinian flags pray during the holy month of Ramadan in front of the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, April 15, 2022. (AP)

The Palestinian leadership threatened to take strategic decisions during a meeting on Sunday aimed at addressing Israeli aggression in the West Bank.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called for the meeting.

The presidency warned it would implement the decisions taken by the Central Council in February, which included suspending recognition of Israel.

Hussein al-Sheikh, member of the Fatah Central Committee and Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee, denounced Israel’s escalation against Palestinians, stressing that the ongoing “massacre cannot be tolerated.”

He slammed the Israeli government’s instructions to its army to kill Palestinians without restraint, holding it fully responsible for the repercussions of its aggression, which is taking place under international cover.

He appealed to all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to sit together and unite to face the aggressive Israeli measures.

Sheikh did not clarify what strategic decisions the leadership would take at Sunday’s meeting.

However, the official spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, hinted at the implementation of the Central Council decisions.

“United Nations resolutions alone are no longer sufficient, and the occupation is pushing things to a dead end,” he stressed.

In February, the Palestinian Central Council decided to suspend recognition of Israel until Tel Aviv recognizes a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 border. It also decided to end all commitments to agreements reached with Israel and halt all forms of security coordination with it.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, however, that the decisions will not be adopted on Sunday.

Rather, Abbas may warn that the ongoing aggression will eventually lead to their gradual implementation.



Hamas Armed Wing Says It Lost Contact with Group Holding Israeli-US Hostage Alexander

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)
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Hamas Armed Wing Says It Lost Contact with Group Holding Israeli-US Hostage Alexander

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Gaza. (Reuters)

The armed wing of Hamas said on Tuesday it had lost contact with a group of fighters holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Ubaida, the armed wing's spokesperson, said on the Telegram that it lost contact after the Israeli army attacked the place where the fighters were holding Alexander, who is a New Jersey native and a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli army.

Abu Ubaida did not say where in Gaza Alexander was purportedly held. The armed wing later released a video warning hostages families that their "children will return in black coffins with their bodies torn apart from shrapnel from your army".

Hamas has previously blamed Israel for the deaths of hostages held in Gaza, including as a direct result of military operations, while also acknowledging on at least one occasion that a hostage was killed by a guard. It said the guard had acted against instructions.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli military to a request for comment on the Hamas statement about Alexander.

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House in March that gaining the release of Alexander, believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a "top priority for us".

The Tikva Forum, a group representing some family members of those held in Gaza, had said earlier on Tuesday that Alexander was among up to 10 hostages who could be released by Hamas if a new ceasefire was reached, citing a conversation a day earlier between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the mother of another hostage. There was no immediate comment on that from Netanyahu's office.

On Saturday Hamas released a video purportedly showing Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since he was captured by Palestinian gunmen on October 7, 2023.

The release of Alexander was at the center of earlier talks held between Hamas leaders and US hostage negotiator Adam Boehler last month.

Hamas released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that began on January 19. In March, Israel's military resumed its ground and aerial offensive on Gaza, abandoning the ceasefire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.

Israeli officials say that offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarized. Hamas insists it will free hostages only as part of a deal to end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms.