China is going to host officials from Fatah and Hamas next week for discussions on what will happen in Gaza once the Israel-Hamas war has concluded, the New York Times reported on Monday.
A meeting held in Beijing in April attempted to bridge the gap between the two groups, which the New York Times claims is seen by many as a key component of rebuilding Gaza, but the meeting was unfruitful.
At the end of June, Fatah's spokesman in Europe and a member of its Revolutionary Council Dr. Jamal Nazzal appeared on the Fatah-affiliated network Awda TV where he slammed Hamas for sacrificing Palestinian lives without the consent of civilians.
Fatah's criticism of Hamas
“We consider them to be martyrs, but they did not sacrifice themselves — they were sacrificed,” Nazzal said. “The people who applaud this – especially from abroad – did not try to live in Gaza.”
Nazzal further charged that Hamas had sabotaged attempts to establish a Palestinian state, citing the 1995 Oslo II Accord.
“Hamas carried out bombing attacks inside Israel to thwart this process,” Nazzal said. “If this process would have been allowed to run its course, it would have given the Palestinians true independence and a fully sovereign state.”
In March, in response to Hamas’s critique of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, Fatah charged Hamas “were responsible for the return of the occupation to Gaza Strip and caused the Nakba [catastrophe] which our Palestinian people live…,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Fatah slammed Hamas, demanding: “Did Hamas consult the Palestinian leadership or any Palestinian national party when it made its decision to carry out the ‘adventure’ of last October 7, which led to a catastrophe more horrific and crueler than the Nakba of 1948?
“And did Hamas consult the Palestinian leadership that is now negotiating with Israel and offering it concessions after concessions, which have no goal other than securing guarantees of personal security for its leadership to receive, and to try to reach an agreement with [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to maintain its divisive role in Gaza and the Palestinian arena?”
Rikki Zagelbaum and Ohad Merlin contributed to this report.