PA Slams Israel’s Gaza Takeover Plan as ‘Crime’—Demands Full Control

The Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, issued a scathing condemnation of the Israeli Cabinet’s decisions to defeat Hamas, demilitarize Gaza, and establish an alternative administration, labelling the moves a “serious crime” and a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law and legitimate international resolutions.” The Israeli Cabinet, endorsing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal, outlined a strategy to seize control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones. The plan rests on five principles: disarming Hamas, securing the release of all 49 hostages, living and deceased, demilitarizing Gaza, maintaining Israeli security control, and creating a new civilian administration excluding both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The Palestinian Authority rejected these measures, declaring, “The Palestinian people will under no circumstances accept a policy of dictates or the imposition of facts on the ground, and will continue to adhere to their inalienable national rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem.” The PA announced plans to appeal to the UN Security Council to halt Israel’s military actions and urged U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene. The statement emphasized that only a “comprehensive political solution” allowing the “State of Palestine” to assume full governmental and security control over Gaza would ensure stability.

The condemnation follows Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,189 and abducted 251, triggering a war that has claimed 60,000 Palestinian lives, per Gaza’s Health Ministry. The PA’s demand for control contrasts with its 2007 expulsion from Gaza by Hamas and Abbas’s refusal to hold elections since 2005, currently serving his 20th year of a 4 year term. Social media on X reflected polarized views, with one user stating, “The PA’s call for Gaza control ignores its own corruption and Hamas’s grip.” Israel’s plan, set for implementation by October 7, 2025, faces resistance as Qatar and Egypt push a rival hostage release proposal, further complicating peace efforts.