PA raids on Jenin are a 'betrayal', says senior Hamas official

Hamas senior official Bassem Naim, in an interview with Middle East Eye, stated that the Palestinian Authority's (PA) actions in Jenin were a "betrayal" that could lead to the end of the PA's rule in the occupied West Bank. In the interview, he discussed extensively the ceasefire agreement with Israel, the future of Hamas, the escalating violence in the West Bank, the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the new government in Syria. This conversation took place days after the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Gaza went into effect.

Shortly after the ceasefire took effect, Israel launched a brutal offensive on Jenin and its refugee camp, resulting in at least 12 deaths and at least 50 injuries. Furthermore, infrastructure was severely damaged, and hundreds of residents were displaced. This followed weeks of PA operations in Jenin, where Palestinian security forces had surrounded the area in an attempt to crack down on resistance groups.

Naim stated, "Most Palestinians see what the Palestinian Authority is doing in the West Bank, especially in the Jenin refugee camp, in terms of these so-called security operations, as a betrayal, as a clear submission to the occupation." He noted that the PA has "transformed itself into a part of the Israeli security plan." He questioned, "How can we understand that the Palestinian security forces are besieging the refugee camp, while at the same time, Israeli planes are attacking it from the air?" Naim believes that the PA's actions are undermining Palestinian unity and weakening efforts to confront Israeli aggression.

Naim also stated that if PA officials believe they can gain any promises from Israel or the United States by attacking and "besieging their own people," they are "deluding themselves." He added, "By the end of this year, we might see the Palestinian Authority leaving or disappearing." He pointed out that members of the Israeli cabinet have hinted that this could happen. With the Gaza ceasefire in effect, Naim believes that the next armed conflict with Israel could occur in the West Bank or Jerusalem.

He pointed out that the October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 Israelis and the capture of 250, was codenamed "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood." Naim emphasized, "This means that it is related to Al-Aqsa Mosque, to Jerusalem, and to the West Bank." He added that Israel is treating these territories as "de facto annexed areas." The Hamas official stated that the next round of conflict is only a "matter of time." He stressed, "If Palestinians cannot achieve their goal of establishing an independent state that includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, I do not think that anyone in the region will be able to enjoy security, stability, or prosperity." He also warned, "We might witness a third or fourth intifada. Popular resistance is everywhere, and I believe it will be very, very complicated, more complicated than what happened in the Gaza Strip."

Naim believes that the 15-month-long war in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 47,000 Palestinians, is a "victory" for the Palestinian people and a failure for Israel. He pointed out that Israel had several stated goals: to defeat Hamas militarily and politically in Gaza, to expel Palestinians from the enclave, and to free Israeli captives by force. Naim stated that Israel has failed on all of these goals. "The resistance is still there... they are wearing uniforms, they are driving new cars. The resistance, until the last moment, the day before, was still able to attack Israeli forces on the ground and inflict a lot of damage."

Naim believes that it is a "historic moment" when one of the strongest armies in the region cannot defeat "a group of fighters in a small area of 360 square kilometers, who have been under siege for more than 17 years." He added that Israel itself acknowledges that it failed to protect its people and failed to achieve its stated goals, citing the recent resignation of the army's Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi. He described the October 7 attack as a "defensive act" after 30 years of failure of the "political track" since the Oslo Accords. He said, "We tried to send a very strong message on October 7 and after that, that we cannot be good victims."

Naim continued, "We cannot be silent victims. We are ready to sacrifice everything to get rid of this open-air prison, to get rid of this occupation." He compared the Palestinian resistance to those who fought against colonial powers in the Vietnam War and the Algerian War. Naim stated, "The mentality and the nature of colonial powers are barbaric, brutal, and they will not give up unless you use the same tools they are using. We resort to armed resistance only when all other tools and means fail." He added, "Today, after October 7 and after these 15 months, Israel is not the same Israel it was before."

Naim pointed out that an estimated 70% of the Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza were women and children, which he considers an unprecedented disproportionate number in human history. "They are systematically committing these crimes – this genocide, this starvation – to achieve their goals." Naim, who has lived in Gaza his entire life, traveled to Turkey for a conference a few days before the October 7 attack. The war has taken a personal toll on him, with several of his immediate and extended family members killed in Israeli attacks. "I'm talking about my mother, my grandchildren, and some nieces."

Regarding the downfall of Bashar al-Assad's rule in Syria, Naim stated that he welcomes the freedom of the Syrian people. The Assad government is part of the Axis of Resistance, a coalition of Iranian-backed regional anti-Israel states and groups. Relations between Assad and Hamas became strained after the Palestinian movement refused to support the Assad government against armed Syrian opposition groups. However, the two sides reconciled shortly before the start of the Gaza war. Naim stated, "We have openly expressed our joy at the freedom of the Syrian people, finally, after paying a huge price. A very, very big price to get rid of the dictatorship." He emphasized that Hamas is not interested in participating in domestic or regional conflicts or disputes unrelated to the Palestinian cause, and dismissed any connection with the regional "axis." "Our compass points to Al-Aqsa Mosque, to Jerusalem. We welcome any kind of support." He added that he hopes Syria will continue to support Palestinian rights, "as it did for decades before the Assad regime."

Elsewhere in the region, Naim stated that if Israel and Saudi Arabia resume negotiations to establish open relations after the Gaza ceasefire, they will ultimately "fail." "I am a surgeon," he said. "The first step in any successful process is to diagnose the disease. You can give the patient all kinds of medication. It might alleviate his pain temporarily, but it does not solve the problem. We have a clear problem here: the Israeli occupation." Naim stated that without addressing the "root cause," all other initiatives, such as normalization of relations, will "lead nowhere and will only postpone the next round of conflict."

Regarding the deaths of senior Hamas figures such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, Naim stated that the group's capabilities and leadership have suffered "very heavy blows." However, he added, "Hamas is not a group of young men carrying Kalashnikovs." He said that Hamas is a well-organized movement with the administrative capacity to deal with losses and changes. Naim stated that after Sinwar's death, Hamas formed a cabinet of five leaders, led by Mohammed Ismail Darwish, the head of the group's Shura Council. He did not reveal the identities of the other four members. Naim stated that Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement and will do everything possible to ensure its success.

He stated that Israel might violate the agreement, as it recently did in southern Lebanon, but Israeli society is "exhausted." "The political structure is exhausted; the economy is exhausted; the army is exhausted. So, I do not think they have the capacity to start another open war against Gaza," he said. He added that U.S. President Donald Trump's statement that he does not want to see another war has left Israel with no "excuse" or "condition" to resume the conflict. Naim speculated that Israel might focus on assassinations or localized attacks, which Hamas will assess and plan its response to. When asked if prominent Palestinian political leaders were included among the prisoners released in the ceasefire agreement, he ruled out their inclusion in the first phase. "Unfortunately, in the first phase, they said that these big names are not part of the agreement," he said. "I am talking about Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Sa'adat, and some very prominent leaders from Hamas. We hope to negotiate again in the second phase."

He reiterated, as other Hamas officials have said in recent months, that the group is willing to step aside from governance if Palestinians can choose another path. "We are not eager to be part of any government, and we are ready to hand it over to any Palestinian institution that enjoys the support of all Palestinian factions," Naim said. However, he affirmed that this decision must be made solely by Palestinians and not by "any foreign power," whether "Arab, Islamic, or international." "We are not deciding what to do for Jordan, for the UK, or for any country," he said. "Palestinians are smart enough and mature enough to decide for themselves."