PLO, Fatah mourn Yahya Sinwar, urge unity among Palestinians

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation and Fatah both released statements on Friday mourning the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

"We mourn the martyr Yahya Sinwar, head of the political bureau of Hamas, and offer our condolences to our people, Hamas, and his family," Fatah said in its statement.

Fatah also urged Palestinians to "unite and support each other in this difficult and delicate phase" and to reject "conspiracies to liquidate our cause".

The PLO, which holds power over the Palestinian Authority and governs parts of the West Bank not under Israeli control, referred to Sinwar as a "great national leader".

It further called "for strengthening our national unity within the framework of the sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organisation, so that we may be one line to thwart the Israeli plan".

The Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, is widely unpopular among Palestinians, in part due to its security coordination with Israel and its inability to prevent increasing Israeli settler incursions on Palestinian land.

MEE reported in May that Hamas was planning to call for the release of Marwan Barghouti, one of the most popular Fatah figures in the West Bank and Gaza who has been in Israeli prison since 2002, as a part of a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel.

However, a source told MEE that senior PA officials requested Barghouti be excluded from any potential prisoner swap, citing fears that his release would threaten the leadership of Abbas.