Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has openly criticized Hamas for continuing to hold Israeli hostages, asserting that their captivity is giving Israel justification to prolong its military assault on Gaza. Speaking from Ramallah on Wednesday, Abbas urged Hamas to release all hostages, stating, “Our people are the ones paying the price, not Israel.”
Abbas’s remarks came as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 more Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including 11 in a strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City’s Al-Tuffah neighborhood. Rescue workers described scenes of devastation, with charred bodies pulled from rubble and cries from trapped victims still heard beneath collapsed structures.
He condemned Hamas, saying their actions have given “the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes,” and used unusually harsh language, demanding, “Hand over what you have and get us out of this ordeal.”
The sharp criticism drew a swift response from Hamas. Senior official Bassem Naim called Abbas’s comments “insulting,” and accused him of deflecting blame away from Israel’s ongoing aggression.
Footage later released by Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, showed an Israeli hostage, 48-year-old Omri Miran, alive in a Gaza tunnel, further highlighting the ongoing hostage crisis that has complicated ceasefire negotiations.
Despite attempts at renewed talks in Cairo involving Egyptian and Qatari mediators, no breakthroughs have been achieved so far. Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, ending a fragile ceasefire that had resulted in the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody.
Civil defence teams said they are overwhelmed and ill-equipped to deal with the scale of destruction. “We lack the necessary tools and equipment to carry out effective rescue operations,” said spokesman Mahmud Bassal.
Israel’s military said the school targeted was being used as a command centre by Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives. However, visuals from hospitals showed grieving families mourning victims, including children.
As the death toll continues to mount — now exceeding 51,300 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry — international pressure is building. Germany, France, and Britain jointly called on Israel to lift its blockade on aid, warning of “acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death” in the besieged enclave.
Since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack that killed 1,218 people in Israel, Gaza has faced relentless bombardment, with nearly 2 million residents displaced, many sheltering in schools and public buildings now under attack.
