The tensions reached their peak last week, when two senior Fatah officials, Mahmoud al-Aloul and Azzam al-Ahmed, were expelled from the funerals of some of the Palestinians killed during the recent Israeli military operation in Jenin Refugee Camp.
The expulsion of the two officials sparked angry reactions from several Fatah representatives, including the faction’s armed wing, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Did Hamas contribute to the expulsion of Fatah officials from recent funerals?
Fatah accused Hamas members of standing behind the humiliation of Aloul and Ahmed at the funerals and vowed to severely punish those responsible. It called on the PA security forces, largely dominated by Fatah, to “break the bones and cut off the tongues” of Hamas men in the West Bank.
On Friday night, a top adviser to Abbas lashed out at Hamas, dubbing it a “gang of thieves, liars, and spies” whose leaders lead comfortable lives in five-star hotels in Qatar while their people are suffering in the Gaza Strip. READ MORE
