Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the “sons of bitches” Hamas to release the remaining captives in Gaza, saying it has given Israel an excuse to continue slaughtering Palestinians.

Speaking at the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) central council session in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Abbas specifically referenced American-Israeli captive Adi Alexander.

“Every day there are hundreds of deaths. Why? They don’t want to hand over the American hostage,” he said.

“You sons of bitches, hand over what you have and get us out of this. Don’t give Israel an excuse. Don’t give them an excuse.”

Abbas added that he was “the one paying the price” as well as “our people” for their continued captivity rather than Israel.

Hamas and other Palestinian groups seized 251 people during their 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Tensions have long been high between Hamas and Abbas, who has faced widespread criticism for failing to defend Palestinians against Israeli incursions in the West Bank and cracking down on armed resistance groups.

Abbas’s Palestinian Authority governs parts of the West Bank, while Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since a 2005 schism between the two.

On Monday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich provoked an angry backlash after he suggested that the release of captives in Gaza was “not the most important thing” for the goverment.

Smotrich said in an interview with Galey Israel radio that the “Gaza problem” must be eliminated, citing a “tremendous opportunity”. He has repeatedly called for Israel to fully occupy and annex the Palestinian enclave.

Israel has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 and been taken to the International Court of Justice accused of committing genocide.