Abbas pans terror operatives’ death, says ‘ugly crimes’ could cause ‘explosion’

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemns the death of four Palestinian terror group members in firefights with Israeli soldiers, deeming the incidents “ugly crimes.”

“These crimes are the continuation of an ongoing series of violations and field executions of our people. Should this policy continue, it will cause the situation to explode,” Abbas’s office says in a statement carried by official PA media.

Hamas blames the PA for the death of its members, saying the operation was the consequence of joint efforts by Israel and PA security forces to crack down on terror activity in the West Bank.

“The death of today’s martyrs is the consequence of ongoing security coordination with the Zionist occupation. It is the fruit of normalization meetings which PA leaders held with Zionist ministers and Knesset members in Ramallah,” says Hamas spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanou, referring to a recent sit-down between some PA officials and retired Israeli parliamentarians last week.