President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Mahmoud Abbas reportedly plans to attend the funeral of former Israeli leader Shimon Peres, who is remembered as a war criminal among�Palestinian people.

Several sources in the PA confirmed on Thursday that Abbas was set to�participate in the funeral, which will be held in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds on Friday.

Israeli officials also said Abbas had sought permission to cross into the occupied part of the West Bank�from Ramallah to attend the ceremony.

Peres,�known as one of the main pillars of the Israeli occupation,�died on Wednesday at 93 following�a stroke two weeks ago.

The planned visit, which has been called a rare one, comes despite the outpour of welcome among Palestinians to the news of Peres��death.



[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"] Members of the Israeli Knesset guard carry the coffin of former Israeli president Shimon Peres in Jerusalem al-Quds on September 29, 2016. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]

Some high-profile figures in Ramallah had earlier rejected Abbas��designation of Peres as a �brave� partner for peace, saying he was no more than a �war criminal.�

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which governs the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, welcomed the death of Peres, saying he was �one of the last Israeli founders of occupation.�

Hamas also called on Palestinians to hold a �Day of Rage� on Friday concurrently with his funeral.

On the streets of Palestinian cities, people also recalled Peres for his �war crimes� as well as his active involvement in several massacres against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians over the past decades.

Peres was known as the Israeli entity�s last remaining �founding father.�

During his tenure as president, the Israeli military launched two brutal wars against blockaded Gaza in 2009 and 2014, killing some 3,700 Palestinians. Peres was also a staunch supporter of the crippling Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave.

When he was in office as premier in 1996, the regime shelled a United Nations compound near Qana, a village in southern Lebanon, where hundreds of locals were sheltering. The raid killed 106 people and injured around 116 others.

By Press TV