In a recent TV interview, Fatah spokesman Ahmad Assaf accused Hamas leaders of corruption. "They received 700 million dollars, which went into the Gaza Strip, but they did not give a single cent to the people of Gaza. The Hamas leaders took it all," Assaf said.

Following are excerpts from the interview, which aired on the Palestinian Authority's Al-Awda TV channel on September 16, 2014.

Ahmad Assaf: I was shocked by the recent public opinion poll, which showed that over 50% of the people of Gaza had tried to emigrate from Gaza, or would like to do so. That’s half the population of Gaza…

It is common knowledge that Hamas has complete control over the tunnels. The tunnels are controlled by the leaders of Hamas, to be precise. Even a bird cannot travel between Gaza and Egypt, or fly over sea, without the approval of Hamas. This is well known to our people in Gaza…

Thousands have left Gaza through the tunnels or by sea. This is done through middlemen from among the leaders of the Hamas armed militia, known only as "the security forces." They do it for 3,000 to 5,000 dollars. Some people sold everything they owned, because they were embarking on a one-way trip…

We have become accustomed to Hamas being two-faced. In public, they talk big and use violent terms, but behind closed doors, especially when talking to the Israelis and Americans, they use soft and subdued language…

The international players listen to the [Hamas] statements, and they have the right to ask: "If we are on the verge of another war, why should we pay billions on the rebuilding of Gaza?"…

Why did the Hamas leadership reject the Egyptian initiative on July 14? This question remains unanswered. The Palestinian people in Gaza are asking: how come you rejected the initiative on July 14, but accepted a lesser one on August 26? The difference amounts to "merely" 2,000 martyrs, 10,000 wounded, and an invasion that destroyed 10,000 homes and the entire Gaza infrastructure. Can they tell us the reason?...

The bill for Khaled Mash’al’s accommodation has become too steep for the Palestinian people. We are paying this bill with the blood of our children, women, and elderly. Khaled Mash’al should return to the Gaza Strip like Abu Marzouq, who has been living there for over a month, without being harmed by anybody. Why doesn’t Mash’al return to Gaza? Hasn’t Gaza been liberated? Al-Zahhar told us 1,000 times that it has…

During the Israeli aggression against our people in Gaza, the Hamas leaders in Gaza received 700 million dollars. I take full responsibility for what I am saying. This figure is well documented, and we know the money sources. Hamas collected money from all over the world. Where is it? We have seen televised fundraisers by Hamas supporters and allies, in which hundreds of millions were collected. Can anybody tell me where the money went?...

In the name of the blood of the children and the destruction of Gaza, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood collected money all over the world. They received 700 million dollars, which went into the Gaza Strip, but they did not give a single cent to the people of Gaza. The Hamas leaders took it all.