Hamas accuses Fatah of blocking reconciliation

Palestine

Published: 2017-12-03 21:06

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 14:40


Hamas accuses Fatah of blocking reconciliation
Hamas accuses Fatah of blocking reconciliation

The Palestinian Hamas movement has accused Fatah of blocking the historical reconciliation agreement, calling for the lifting of recent sanctions on the Gaza Strip.

"We demand that the government of prime minister Rami Hamdallah assume its responsibilities in full and lift the unjust sanctions imposed on our people in Gaza," said Hamas, the de facto rulers of the Gaza Strip, New Arab reported.

Israel has been imposing a restricted siege on the Gaza Strip since Hamas won the Parliamentary elections in 2006; Egypt is also taking a part in the siege by constantly closing the Rafah border, the main crossing in and out of Gaza, trapping more than two million Palestinians in the coastal enclave.

Additionally, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has imposed severe sanctions recently on the Gaza Strip, including electricity reduction, aiming to force Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza.

Residents in the coastal enclave receive only a few hours of electricity per day, and UN officials have said the densely-populated and impoverished territory is becoming rapidly unlivable.

The PA, dominated by Fatah, was scheduled to take over control of Gaza by December 1 under the Egyptian-brokered agreement signed earlier in October, but it was later delayed due to the two parties exchanging accusations.

In its statement Saturday, Hamas said the Palestinian government based in the West Bank had "made no effort to lift the sanctions and ease the sufferings of the people of Gaza".

The two parties were divided after a deadly street battle in 2007, which concluded with Hamas taking over Gaza and ousting pro-Abbas forces to the West Bank.