Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), called Hamas 'sons of dogs' and demanded the release of hostages in a furious speech in Ramallah. The PA, led by Abbas, has only governed parts of the West Bank since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. Abbas also called for Hamas to hand over responsibility for Gaza and its weapons to the PA. Hamas, in response, criticized Abbas for using derogatory language towards his own people and accused the PA of collaborating with Israel.