Senior Fatah official Nabil Sha'ath denied the presence of missiles in Gaza following the signing of a reconciliation between the leading faction of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority government and the Hamas terrorist rulers of Gaza.
Sha'ath, who has in the past served in a variety of roles in the PA government, told the Independent Media Review & Analysis (IMRA) hours after the agreement was signed, the new unity government would take responsibility for the management of Gaza as well as PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria.
The Fatah official added, in response to a question, that the new government would take responsibility for "all matters" -- including security.
When asked if that included the thousands of rockets and missiles now deployed in Gaza, however, the former PA negotiator denied the presence of the thousands of deadly projectiles that have been fired for the past 10 years at southern Israeli communities.
"What missiles? This is propaganda," Sha'ath replied. "What about all the Israeli missiles?"
The Fatah official then ended the conversation, according to IMRA director Dr. Aaron Lerner.
In November 2011, Sha'ath was hospitalized in Amsterdam after suffering a heart attack during a flight from Belgium to Malaysia. Prior to the flight, the PA official had toured Denmark, Sweden and Belgium as part of his efforts to garner support for the PA's unilateral membership bid at the United Nations.
Hamas terrorists have proudly released numerous video clips of rocket and missile launchings they have aimed at Israel from Gaza over the past decade. The terror group has repeatedly boasted of the massive arsenal of rockets and missiles it possesses, despite the best efforts of Israel to prevent the smuggling of arms into the region.