PA's Abbas accuses Hamas of giving Israel 'pretexts' for Gaza war with Oct. 7 attack
The Hamas terror group gave Israel pretexts and justifications for the war in Gaza with its October 7 attack, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the 33rd Arab League Summit in Manama on Thursday.
The military action that Hamas carried out, at its own decision, on that day, October 7, gave Israel even more excuses and reasons to attack in the Gaza Strip, an attack it has continued with full force, with murder, destruction and uprooting, Abbas said, according to a Channel 12 translation.
We oppose harming civilians, all civilians, added Abbas, who has refrained from condemning the October 7 onslaught itself.
Following the comments, Hamas voiced its regret over the remarks, asserting that the atrocities it perpetrated in southern Israel, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped another 252, mostly civilians, placed our Palestinian cause at the forefront of priorities, achieving strategic gains.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/pas-abbas-accuses-hamas-of-giving-israel-pretexts-for-gaza-war-with-oct-7-attack/