Dahlan condemns killing of Haniyeh, calls for Palestinian unity

Former senior Fatah official Mohammad Dahlan condemns the “cowardly” assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, calling him a “great national leader,” and blames the US for allowing Israel to continue its war against Hamas.

He urges strengthening Palestinian national unity and calls on the international community to stop the war in Gaza.

Dahlan, a native of the Gaza Strip who was expelled by Hamas after its bloody 2007 coup, is considered a unifying figure in Palestinian politics, and according to recent reports, is seen as a possible leader in the Gaza Strip after the war. He lives in Abu Dhabi and has forged close relations with the UAE leadership.

The Wall Street Journal wrote last week that “some US, Israeli and Arab officials” are putting Dahlan forward as a “temporary solution to a dilemma facing postwar Gaza.”

However, Dahlan has rejected the idea, posting last week on X that he would not accept “any security, governmental or executive role” unless an agreement was reached “based on Palestinian national understandings.”