PA security spokesman: Hamas “holds the Palestinian people prisoner”
“Official spokesman of the PA Security Forces and General Political Commissioner Adnan Al-Damiri stressed that Hamas was holding the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip hostage, and attempting to turn the entire Gaza Strip into a military base, in order to realize its factional goals, which are contrary to the path of independence and the national consensus.
Al-Damiri said: ‘Hamas is trying to turn the entire Gaza Strip into a military base under the heading “resistance,” with the aim of protecting its [status] as a ruler by force that holds the Palestinian people prisoner.’… Regarding Hamas’ statement on the completion of the first year [of training] of what it called the ‘popular army’ at the Jabalya refugee camp, Al-Damiri mused: ‘Is Hamas convinced that what the Gaza Strip needs [most] today is a ‘popular army,’ or does it want to tell the government, ‘We want new salaries for the popular army?’ Yes, this is what it wants to say.”
Al-Damiri said: ‘Hamas is trying to turn the entire Gaza Strip into a military base under the heading “resistance,” with the aim of protecting its [status] as a ruler by force that holds the Palestinian people prisoner.’… Regarding Hamas’ statement on the completion of the first year [of training] of what it called the ‘popular army’ at the Jabalya refugee camp, Al-Damiri mused: ‘Is Hamas convinced that what the Gaza Strip needs [most] today is a ‘popular army,’ or does it want to tell the government, ‘We want new salaries for the popular army?’ Yes, this is what it wants to say.”