PNA retorts Hamas' accusation of inciting chaos in Gaza

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Friday condemned as baseless Hamas' accusation that its security intelligence attempted to ignite chaos in the Gaza Strip, an enclave controlled by the movement. Adnan Damiri, spokesman of the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank, said in an emailed press statement that the Hamas accusation is "fake and fabricated" and reflects the movement's "hysteria." Earlier on Friday, the Hamas government in Gaza said its security forces arrested a group of Palestinians who were plotting to ignite chaos in the coastal enclave. Hamas claimed one of the arrested confessed that they were aided by the PNA security intelligence as well as Israel and some Arab countries. "The accusation is baseless. We never planned to ignite chaos or unrest in Gaza. On the contrary, we have been calling for an end to the split that has lasted more than six years," said Damiri. Tensions between Hamas and Fatah, a party led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, have been on the rise since June 30, when the Egyptian army ousted Islamic President Mohamed Morsi, whose Muslim Brotherhood is related to Hamas.