Abbas’ advisor: Release of Israeli hostages won’t end the war, Israel exploits Oct. 7 to uproot the Palestinians
Al-Sharqiya TV host: "Will releasing the [Israeli] hostages end this war (i.e., the 2023 Gaza war)?"
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "I don't think so. To be honest, this aggressive war has only found an excuse in the issue of the hostages, the issue of the captives, and what happened on Oct. 7. Israel is an aggressive state that is seeking an excuse. It found this excuse in what happened on Oct. 7. It exploited what happened on Oct. 7 to carry out the aggression, whose goal is not to return the [Israeli] hostages or eliminate Hamas as they claim. They are striving to uproot the Palestinian presence and eliminate the Palestinian cause politically."
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, Sept. 8, 2024]