Top Hamas official denies being appointed West Bank military commander

A senior Hamas official denies a report in the Hebrew-language Ynet news site that claimed he had been appointed the terror organization’s military commander in the West Bank.

“This news does not deserve a comment, as it is a lie and a fabrication from start to finish. It is aimed at promoting media,” he tells the Palestinian news site Quds Press.

The report comes days after Hamas reportedly agreed to hand over its weapons to the Fatah-led Palestine Liberation Organization as part of a reconciliation deal reached by the two rival factions in October.

The report in the Al-Hayat newspaper quoted a senior Hamas official in Ramallah saying that the terror group would agree to disarm if it can gain PLO representation. There was no confirmation of the report.

— Dov Lieber