Hamas Demands to Keep Guns as Part of Gaza Handover to Abbas
- Palestinian Authority holds landmark cabinet meeting in Gaza
- Netanyahu warns against ‘bogus’ unity bid at Israel’s expense
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Hamas leaders rejected demands to surrender the group’s weapons after it handed over most governing control in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority, raising the prospect that unity efforts may fail again.
While the authority’s cabinet held a festive meeting in Gaza and Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi hailed the effort at Palestinian reconciliation as a harbinger of Middle East peace, the disarmament dispute showed how bumpy the road ahead may be. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against any “bogus” unity bid that would threaten his country if Hamas is allowed to keep its guns. The Trump administration has stressed the importance of committing to nonviolence.