Hamas criticized the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee's decision on Sunday to approve the appointment of its Secretary-General, Hussein al-Sheikh, as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee and Vice President of the State of Palestine. The movement considered the decision a "response to external dictates" and a "consolidation of an approach of exclusivity and exclusion." The move was officially welcomed by several Arab countries.

In a press release issued by the movement, Hamas expressed its rejection of the appointment decision, viewing it as "a reprehensible step that departs from national consensus and the will of the Palestinian people." It added that the decision "reflects the insistence of the powerful leadership in the PLO on paralyzing its institutions, rather than serving as a unifying umbrella for the struggle of our people and its vital forces."

The movement stressed that "the priority of our Palestinian people today is to stop the aggression, the war of extermination, and starvation, and to unify efforts to confront the occupation and settlements, not to distribute positions and divide the power pie to please external parties." It called on Palestinian factions and forces to "reject this step and adhere to rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organization on national and democratic foundations, far from dictates and guardianship."