Hamas has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of attempting to “assassinate” its members, as stated in a Telegram post on Saturday. [Getty]
The Palestinian group Hamas has criticised the Palestinian Authority (PA), accusing it of attempting to “assassinate” its members, according to a Telegram post on Saturday.
The condemnation highlights escalating tensions between the two factions, amid frequent allegations that the PA collaborates with Israeli security forces in operations targeting resistance groups.
In the statement, Hamas official Abdul Rahman Shadid claimed: “What happened in Tulkarm Governorate, where the Authority’s security forces directly shot at a resistance vehicle in an attempt to kill them for the second time in a few days, confirms that instructions were issued by officials in the Authority to liquidate and kill resistance fighters in the West Bank.”
No additional details about the incident have been provided.
This follows another accusation from Hamas earlier in the week, when the group alleged that PA forces opened fire on a vehicle carrying three fighters in Attil, north of Tulkarm.
The attack left all three injured, with one in critical condition, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
Hamas condemned the incident as a “dangerous escalation” and accused PA forces of betraying national values.
“This reflects the unpatriotic path of the PA security forces,” the group stated.
The clashes appear linked to the recent arrests of operatives, involving militant factions opposed to the PA’s leadership.
Among these factions is the Jenin Battalion, which includes fighters affiliated with Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
Armed groups in Jenin and elsewhere claim to be more effective in resisting Israeli occupation than the PA, which coordinates security efforts with Israel.
Additionally, Israeli forces regularly conduct raids on Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, a territory under Israeli occupation since 1967.
Violence has surged in the region since the war in Gaza erupted on 7 October 2023.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 825 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023.
On Thursday night, Israeli media reported dozens of Israeli settlers reportedly attacking the Palestinian village of Khirbet Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, setting fire to property in what marked the third such attack that week.
Footage showed a building used by farmers engulfed in flames.
Graffiti reading “Revenge” and “Funduq,” along with a Star of David, was scrawled on the building’s wall, apparently referencing a recent shooting in the area in which Palestinian gunmen killed two elderly women and an off-duty police officer, injuring at least eight others.
Anti-settler violence organisation Yesh Din noted that the targeted villages – Hajja, Turmus Aya, and Immatain – were linked to suspects who hail from the areas in Monday’s shooting.
The group criticised the Israeli military’s inaction, stating: “Once again, the army is doing nothing to prevent settler violence. This time, too, the writing was on the wall, and notices calling for riots in the villages were distributed publicly among settlers. This is what the Wild West looks like.”
No arrests have been made in connection with any of the reported settler attacks.
