Hamas criticizes Hezbollah’s rare stance on escalation in Gaza
Hamas characterizes the Palestinian Authority’s positions on the Gaza escalation as disgraceful and accuses some Arab countries of secretly urging the United States to eliminate it.
Hamas has directed rare criticism at the Lebanese Hezbollah party, which is considered a strong ally of the movement, while strongly condemning the stance of the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, describing it as shameful.
Mousa Abu Marzouq, a member of Hamas‘s political bureau, expressed his astonishment at the ‘shameful stance of our brothers in the Palestinian Authority’ in Ramallah, as he put it, while Hezbollah did not escape criticism.
He said on Sunday, ‘We were expecting a lot from Hezbollah and from our brothers in the West Bank, but we are astonished by the shameful stance of our brothers in the Authority,’ adding that ‘there are good voices among the officials of the Authority, but the rest make many claims.’
He mentioned that many ‘foreigners’ have informed him that members of the Palestinian Authority and some Arab countries are secretly urging the West to eliminate Hamas.
Despite Hezbollah launching limited attacks on military sites and settlements along the border and in northern Israel, the Israeli army responded with great force, but it remains insufficient in the eyes of Palestinians.
On Monday, the party announced the death of one of its members in clashes with the Israeli army on the southern Lebanese border, raising the death toll to 48 people since October 7.
Despite the threats issued by the leaders of the Lebanese group to Israel about launching a large-scale ground attack on southern Gaza, responses on the ground remain weak and limited, and observers believe that the threats made by Israel and several Western countries, along with the dispatch of US aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean, have prompted Hezbollah to reconsider its policies, as any major escalation or large-scale field movement would have implications for Lebanon, which is suffering from economic, financial, and political crises.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah met with senior leaders of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements last week to formulate joint steps as the war in Gaza escalates and coordination between them intensifies.
Reports circulate about Palestinian anger in Gaza over Hezbollah and Iran’s lack of active participation in confronting the escalation, leaving Hamas and Palestinian factions on the front lines alone, while Hezbollah and Iran have been limited to fiery statements and some skirmishes. Additionally, Hamas‘s criticism of the Palestinian Authority is due to President Mahmoud Abbas’s disavowal of the movement and his attack on Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Abbas had stated that Hamas‘s actions do not represent the Palestinian people before retracting this statement and amending the report in the Palestinian news agency, causing considerable anger not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank.
As an indication of the depth of the division within the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah movement, Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, stated that he supports Hamas’s attack and the ‘Storm Al-Aqsa’ operation, leading to criticism from within the Palestine Liberation Organization.
