The Hamas administration of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday called on the Fatah-dominated Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to stop cracking down on the Islamic movement's supporters in the West Bank.

In a statement, the Hamas government "condemns the security services' acts in West Bank which include attacks against the mosques, incitement against the resistance and its elements and the arrests that targeted tens of residents for their political affiliation."

Earlier on Tuesday, West Bank police forces said they arrested eight Hamas-linked persons after discovering an explosive lab in a mosque.

The Hamas government urged that "Fatah must release all Hamas' supporters to help ending the schism and restore the national unity immediately."

Hamas and Fatah, two rival Palestinian mainstream movements, have been cracking down against their political dissidents since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip by force in 2007 after defeating the Fatah-led security forces.

Egypt hosts talks between the Palestinian factions to achieve national reconciliation. Among the proposals is forming a national committee to liaise between Hamas' Gaza authority and Fatah's West Bank PNA until elections are held in January 2010.