Fatah urges Hamas to cede power to safeguard ‘Palestinians’ existence’

Update Fatah urges Hamas to cede power to safeguard ‘Palestinians’ existence’
A young boy sits atop his family’s belongings as Palestinians flee from the northern Gaza Strip toward the south, via the Salah Al-Din road near the Nusseirat refugee camp, on Mar. 20, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 22 March 2025
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Fatah urges Hamas to cede power to safeguard ‘Palestinians’ existence’

Fatah urges Hamas to cede power to safeguard ‘Palestinians’ existence’
  • “Hamas must show compassion for Gaza, its children, women and men,” Fatah spokesman Monther Al-Hayek said
  • He called on Hamas to “step aside from governing and fully recognize that the battle ahead will lead to the end of Palestinians’ existence” if it remains in power in Gaza

GAZA CITY: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah movement called on its Islamist rivals Hamas on Saturday to relinquish power in order to safeguard the “existence” of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas must show compassion for Gaza, its children, women and men,” Fatah spokesman Monther Al-Hayek said in a message sent to AFP from Gaza.
He called on Hamas to “step aside from governing and fully recognize that the battle ahead will lead to the end of Palestinians’ existence” if it remains in power in Gaza.
Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 from the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, and subsequent attempts at reconciliation have failed.
The territory has been devastated by an Israeli offensive in retaliation for the attack by Hamas and other Palestinian militants on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Hamas has said repeatedly it is willing to leave power in Gaza once the war is over but categorically excludes giving up its weapons.
“We are ready to accept any agreement regarding the administration of Gaza (post-war), and are not interested in participating in it,” Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said in a statement Saturday.
“What’s important to us is the national consensus,” he added, recalling that Hamas has endorsed an Egyptian proposal for an independent committee of professionals and technocrats to manage Gaza post-war and oversee reconstruction.
Abbas says the committee must report to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, the sole legitimate entity to govern Gaza according to him, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has rejected this.
Following disagreement over the next steps in a January 19 ceasefire in the Gaza war, Israeli resumed air strikes on Tuesday, followed by ground operations the day after.
On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to annex parts of Gaza unless Hamas frees the remaining Israeli hostages seized in the October 7 attack.
Of the 251 hostages taken that day, 58 are still being held, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.
Nearly 50,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The latest Israeli offensive has caused a new exodus of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza.
“We are exhausted by the cycle of displacement,” Ramadan Houdoud told AFP in a tent camp in Al-Zawayda in the center of the territory, after fleeing from Gaza City.
Displaced woman Umm Khaled lamented the destruction, adding: “There is no water, no food, and no rest.”
“Where can we go? We need a solution. Are there really no more Muslims to help us?” she asked.


At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza

At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza
Updated 19 sec ago
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At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza

At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza
  • The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp
  • Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month
At least 12 people including children were killed overnight in Gaza by Israeli strikes, hospital workers said Wednesday.
The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital, which received the bodies. Among the dead were three children, including two brothers whose bodies arrived in pieces, according to the hospital’s morgue.
Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory’s 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages.
The strikes come after more than two dozen people were killed earlier this week in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

UAE arrests cell smuggling weapons to ‘Sudanese army’

UAE arrests cell smuggling weapons to ‘Sudanese army’
Updated 6 min 3 sec ago
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UAE arrests cell smuggling weapons to ‘Sudanese army’

UAE arrests cell smuggling weapons to ‘Sudanese army’

DUBAI: The UAE attorney general said Wednesday that the country was has arrested a cell that smuggled weapons to the Sudanese army.   

“The country's security services thwarted an attempt to illegally smuggle weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces,” read a statement on WAM. 


Syrian state media says 11 dead in new clashes near Damascus

Syrian state media says 11 dead in new clashes near Damascus
Updated 25 min 50 sec ago
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Syrian state media says 11 dead in new clashes near Damascus

Syrian state media says 11 dead in new clashes near Damascus
  • Clashes erupted overnight between security forces and “outlaw groups” near Damascus

DAMASCUS: Syria state media said Wednesday that 11 people had been killed in clashes that erupted overnight between security forces and “outlaw groups” near Damascus.
“The number of dead after outlaw groups targeted civilians and security forces” in the Sahnaya area “has risen to 11 dead and a number of wounded,” state news agency SANA said, citing a health ministry statement, without elaborating on the identity of those killed.


Iraq to host Arab Summit in Baghdad on May 17

Iraq to host Arab Summit in Baghdad on May 17
Updated 36 min 58 sec ago
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Iraq to host Arab Summit in Baghdad on May 17

Iraq to host Arab Summit in Baghdad on May 17
  • Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said invitations had been extended to most Arab leaders

DUBAI: Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein confirmed on Tuesday that the Arab Summit will be held in Baghdad as planned on May 17.

Hussein said that invitations had been extended to most Arab leaders, with many showing positive responses, state news agency INA reported. 

The minister emphasized the strong interest among Arab states in participating, reflecting regional support for Iraq’s hosting of the summit.


Iraqi PM, Egyptian president urge cooperation to end Gaza crisis

Iraqi PM, Egyptian president urge cooperation to end Gaza crisis
Updated 43 min 41 sec ago
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Iraqi PM, Egyptian president urge cooperation to end Gaza crisis

Iraqi PM, Egyptian president urge cooperation to end Gaza crisis
  • 2 leaders emphasize support for dialogue to enhance regional security and stability

DUBAI: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held discussions on Tuesday on ways to end the crisis in Gaza.

In their talks held telephonically, they also exchanged views on regional issues.

They emphasized “the importance of concerted efforts to halt the aggression against Gaza and to support dialogue initiatives aimed at promoting regional security and stability.”

They also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and activate economic and development agreements, according to a statement from Al-Sudani’s media office carried by the Iraqi News Agency.