Hamas Official Says His Own Terrorist Group Turned Gazans into ‘Beggars’

The Jerusalem Post reports: The leaders of Hamas and Fatah have failed their people and have turned them into “beggars and street vendors who can hardly earn a living,” senior Hamas official Ahmed Yousef said on Monday.

Yousef, who previously served as a senior adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, made his remarks in an article he published on the Palestinian Donia Al-Watan website. The article was published in response to a statement made by PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat in which he called on Hamas to implement previous reconciliation agreements it had signed with the ruling Fatah faction.

The Egyptian delegation, headed by Ahmed Abdel Khaleq, head of the “Palestinian Portfolio” in Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, held a series of meetings in the past few days with Hamas and Fatah officials. The delegation also held talks with Israeli security officials in Jerusalem. The delegation returned to the Gaza Strip on Monday and immediately held lengthy talks with Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yehya Sinwar.

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