Palestinian factions in the besieged Gaza Strip have strongly condemned Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas for what they described as disgraceful and divisive comments amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

In a shocking statement during a televised speech, Abbas referred to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas as “sons of dogs” while demanding the release of remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza. The remarks were immediately denounced by various Palestinian resistance factions and civil society leaders as a betrayal of the unity and steadfastness of the Palestinian cause.

Senior Hamas leader Dr. Bassem Naim rejected Abbas’ comments as “insulting” and “beneath the dignity of the Palestinian leadership,” adding, “Such remarks come at a time when Gaza is being annihilated and thousands of our people, including children and women, are being slaughtered daily by Israeli bombs.”

Abbas claimed that Hamas’ continued detention of captives is giving the Zionist entity a pretext to prolong its savage military campaign in Gaza. However, many in Gaza and across the Palestinian territories see such statements as a dangerous attempt to justify Israel’s war crimes and shift blame away from the occupation.

Abbas and the PA leadership, widely seen as collaborators with the Israeli regime, have long accused Hamas of sowing division, while themselves coordinating with Israeli security forces and cracking down on popular resistance in the occupied West Bank.

The controversy comes as the Israeli occupation continues its ruthless bombardment of Gaza. On Wednesday alone, at least 45 Palestinians were martyred and over 100 others wounded in fresh airstrikes, medical sources confirmed. The death toll since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal campaign on October 7 has now surpassed 51,300, with tens of thousands more wounded and missing under the rubble.

Palestinians across Gaza and the West Bank have expressed outrage at Abbas' comments, seeing them as part of an ongoing effort by the PA to delegitimize the resistance and placate Western and Zionist powers.

“President Abbas’ words are an insult to every martyr, every family under the rubble, and every child who has died defending the dignity of our people,” said a spokesperson for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Amid the escalating atrocities, calls are growing for an urgent end to the war on Gaza and for the Palestinian leadership to stand united with the resistance, rather than with the occupiers. (ILKHA)