PA security forces’ attacks on resistance fighters will deepen internal rift, warns Hamas

The Hamas resistance movement condemns Palestinian Authority security forces for killing a commander of the fellow Islamic Jihad group during a raid in the occupied West Bank, warning that such actions will aggravate the years-long rift among Palestinian factions. 

The Gaza-based movement, in a statement released on Saturday, expressed its condolences over the shooting death of Yazid Jaya'isa, a leader of the Jenin Brigade, in the Jenin refugee camp.

It argued that PA security forces’ targeting of resistance figures falls within the framework of the crimes of the occupying Israeli regime.

Hamas called the attack “a disgraceful act” that will deepen internal divisions at a critical moment in the Palestinian struggle.

The movement also pointed to the growing tensions within the occupied Palestinian territories.

Hamas warned that the ongoing pursuit of resistance fighters would only fuel internal conflict at a time when unity is most needed.

Meanwhile, al-Quds Brigades in the West Bank called for a general strike, urging Palestinians to protest in solidarity with the Jenin camp and to honor the fallen martyrs in Gaza.

The Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, also condemned the assault, calling on the Palestinian Authority to halt actions that undermine national values.

It emphasized that the PA should focus on protecting Palestinians against Israeli aggression, and refrain from targeting resistance fighters as they are performing a task that the Ramallah-based administration has already abdicated.

Palestinian Authority’s security forces launched an aggressive assault on the Jenin refugee camp on Saturday morning, aiming to capture or kill resistance fighters.

Confrontations broke out as a large security force besieged the camp, calling in reinforcements and positioning snipers on the rooftops of nearby buildings.

Major General Anwar Rajab, the official spokesperson for the PA’s security forces, alleged in a statement carried by WAFA news agency that the raid was part of ongoing efforts to “maintain security, uphold the rule of law, and eliminate chaos” in Jenin.

He asserted that the goal was to reclaim the camp from what he called “outlaws”, claiming that the security forces had taken all necessary measures to avoid harming civilians or disrupting daily life in Jenin.

On Monday, during another PA incursion into Jenin, Palestinian security forces killed a 19-year-old Palestinian man named Rahbi Shalabi.

The PA initially blamed his death on “lawbreakers,” but said on Thursday that after an investigation into his death, the PA “bears full responsibility” for the incident.

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