Palestinian gov't urges Hamas to hand over rule of Gaza Strip

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The Palestinian national unity government on Tuesday urged Islamic Hamas movement to fully hand over the rule of Gaza Strip to it.

The government said in a press statement after its weekly cabinet meeting that its jurisdiction over the strip "is a national duty, an essential requirement to rescue Gaza from the dangers it faces and not allow Israel to take advantage of the continuation of the internal division."

The statement strongly condemned "the assassination attempt" targeting Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj during their visit to Gaza last week.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (2nd-R), escorted by his bodyguards, is greeted by police forces of the Islamist Hamas movement (L) upon his arrival in Gaza City on March 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of being responsible for the bombing attack targeting Hamdallah's convoy.

Speaking at the opening of a meeting of the executive committees of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and his Fatah Party's central committee, Abbas warned that if the assassination attempt succeeded, "it would have disastrous results and lead to the outbreak of a Palestinian civil war."

He urged Hamas to fully hand over its administration, including the security, of the enclave to the Palestinian Authority.

An explosion occurred when the convoy of Hamdallah entered the Gaza Strip through the Israeli-controlled Erez checkpoint last Tuesday.

Palestinians inspect the site of an explosion that targeted the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, in the northern Gaza Strip March 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that unknown assailants planted a roadside bomb as soon as his convoy entered the Palestinian side of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 after ousting forces loyal to Abbas, has condemned the incident and vowed to conduct an investigation into it in order to prosecute the perpetrators.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency