Mahmood Abbas calls for Hamas to disarm, release hostages to stop Gaza aggression

Report By Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas has called on Hamas to immediately release hostages and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, saying such steps would end Israel’s justification for its ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Abbas called for political change.

During a high-level meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Ramallah, Abbas urged Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza and transition from an armed group to a political organization.

> “Hamas must be handed responsibility for Gaza and disarmed. If they do so, Israel will lose the excuse it uses to destroy Gaza,” Abbas said.

The appeal marks an unprecedented public push by the Palestinian leader for internal reconciliation while also challenging Hamas’s current rule in the coastal enclave.

Hostage release as a step towards peace

Abbas stressed that the release of the hostages by Hamas would be an important step towards ending the bloodshed and enabling international pressure on Israel to cease its military operations.

“Innocent civilians are paying the price. The Israeli hostages must be freed to stop this ongoing war by Israel,” he added.

The conflict has escalated since Hamas’ surprise attacks in October 2023, which prompted Israel to launch a large-scale military response targeting the group’s infrastructure in Gaza.

Strained Palestinian unity

The remarks underscore the long-standing division between Abbas’s Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, and Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007. The two factions have clashed frequently over governance, policy and the future of the Palestinian resistance.

Hamas, which opposes Abbas’s peace initiatives with Israel, has previously rejected calls for disarmament.

Global pressure for ceasefire

Abbas also appealed to world leaders for immediate international intervention to end the war, withdraw Israeli forces and halt settlement activity in the occupied territories.

He reiterated the Palestinian position that peace is impossible without an independent state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.