Abbas’ advisor: Hamas caused total devastation in Gaza, if they subject to PLO authority, the door is open

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "Everyone knows and [Hamas] knows that it has failed for 18 years, during which it has ruled the Gaza Strip by force and plunged it into six deadly and destructive wars that claimed tens of thousands of Martyrs and wounded, and caused total devastation to the Gaza Strip… If it really is interested in the interests of the Palestinian people and rescuing and defending the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, [Hamas] must completely leave the arena. This does not mean its political exclusion. The door is open for it to be a partner in Palestinian political life, but based on the same foundations on which the internal Palestinian political activity is based and that were adopted by the PLO: One Palestinian legitimacy that respects the international legitimacy, one weapon, one law, one rule, and one government."

[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, YouTube channel, Feb. 27, 2025]