Hamas officials Tuesday fiercely rejected Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Monday accusations that Hamas is enabling Al-Qaida to infiltrate the Gaza Strip.
According to Israel National News, Abbas attacked Hamas for being a "defensive shield for the international terrorist organization Al-Qaida." He said Hamas "enables Al-Qaeda terrorists to enter Gaza, thus endangering Gaza and causing it to require urgent aid."
Hamas "angrily" denied the allegation and said Abbas was trying to generate more negative opinions against it.
A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, accused Abbas of "trying to mislead international opinion to win support for his demand to deploy international forces in Gaza."
Hamas wrested control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in a violent takeover last month, creating an apparently irreconcilable rift with Abbas and Fatah.
Egypt and other Arab states are working to try and heal that divide and have said they believe the two groups will come together again soon.
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.