Palestinian group denies Abbas’ death

By Qays Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian group Fatah on Monday denied reports about the death of President Mahmoud Abbas.

“All reports about the death of President Abbas are nothing but rumors by dubious entities,” Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasmi said on Facebook.

“The president is in good health and recovering according to his doctor,” he asserted.

On May 20, Abbas was hospitalized in the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah city after suffering a lung infection. A few days later, he was hospitalized again after suffering a fever. He remained there until today at the hospital’s cardiological department.

Earlier this month, Abbas, 82, underwent an ear surgery. Since then, he has returned to the hospital twice, prompting speculation about the state of his health.

Abbas was elected president after the death of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004.

He pursued U.S-sponsored peace talks with Israel, which broke down in 2014 over Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories.