Hamas Condemns Palestinian Authority's Arrest of Resistance Fighters in West Bank

Hamas issued a statement on Thursday denouncing the PA Security Forces' actions, particularly in the Nablus governorate, where resistance fighters, activists, and former prisoners have been targeted.

The statement also criticized the PA for spreading rumors and fabricating accusations against these individuals.

"In the face of the escalating aggression by the brutal occupation in the West Bank governorates, the PA Security Forces continue to attack our internal cradle and Palestinian social fabric through political arrests and persecution, disregarding calls to cease these actions, which insult the sacrifices of our revolutionary people and align with the occupation's escalating aggression," Hamas stated.

The group called on the PA to stop these practices, release all political detainees, and redirect its forces to unite in confronting the occupation.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the Committee of National and Islamic Forces in Gaza, which includes Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement, and other factions, called for mobilization in defense of the West Bank against what they described as Israel's largest assault on the territory in years.

The committee urged the PA and its security services to protect the Palestinian people and to confront Zionists and settler gangs in the field of honor and dignity.

Since October 2023, violence in the West Bank has surged, with Israeli forces and settlers causing the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians. Nearly 11 months into the conflict, over 40,600 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed, and large areas of Gaza are devastated, compounded by a severe blockade restricting access to essential supplies.