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Hamas accuses Abbas of threatening to end its rule in Gaza

Xinhua, April 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

A senior Hamas leader slammed Tuesday the threatening measures that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is intending to carry out to end ten years of Hamas rule of the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Abbas announced that there will be soon "unprecedented measures" to be carried out in the Gaza Strip aiming at ending Hamas rule of the Gaza Strip that began when the Islamic movement violently seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayyah told a news conference that neither his movement nor other Palestinian factions and powers as well as the populations of the coastal enclave would accept these threats that mount their daily life suffering and poverty.

"Abbas is punishing the poor Gaza Strip populations by cutting the employees' salaries, imposing high taxations on the fuels that operate Gaza power station and cutting the aid to the families of the martyrs," said al-Hayyah.

Internal division between Hamas and Abbas and his Fatah Party on the other have been unresolved since 2007. Hamas accused Abbas and the consensus government for neglecting and fighting Gaza instead of standing to its side.

"Gaza and Hamas can never be threatened or terrified; we were not afraid when we were under the threats of missiles during the previous wars waged on Gaza and we tell Abbas that your threats won't terrify or frighten us," said al-Hayyah.

Several governments were formed in accordance between the two rivals. However, feuds and disputes between them went on and the two sides kept trading accusations over who is responsible for the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Al-Hayyah announced that his government had formed a committee one year ago and called it "the committee to rule Gaza Strip's daily affairs" "after Abbas and the consensus government turned their backs to the Gaza Strip."

"They cut off 30 percent of the employees salaries, they insisted to impose high taxations on fuels and deprived 400 families of receiving humanitarian aid, so we formed the committee," said al-Hayyah.

However, he said "Although we formed the committee to run Gaza affairs, we tell the consensus government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, come and rule the Gaza Strip, we are ready to handover the Gaza Strip to this government."

"When this government and its ministries come to Gaza and takeover all ministries, then the committee that Hamas had formed will automatically dismantled," said al-Hayyah.

Meanwhile, he announced that his movement accepted the Qatari initiative and accepts holding the parliamentary and presidential elections, adding "let's go for general elections within three months from now." Endit