By Ola Attalah
GAZA
Palestinian resistance faction Hamas on Friday accused the unity government of "ignoring" the Gaza Strip.
"Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdullah is being dictated by [rival] Fatah movement," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a press release.
"He ignores the rights and suffering of the Gaza people, which causes to deepen divisions and undermine the government," he said.
There was no comment from the unity government on the accusations.
Tensions have mounted recently between Hamas and Fatah, the latter of which is led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The tension comes in spite of a June reconciliation deal that produced a unity government headed by al-Hamdullah.
The unity government has yet to assume political control of the Gaza Strip, however, impeding payment of public-sector salaries in the coastal territory.
Both factions, meanwhile, continue to accuse each other of attempting to sabotage the reconciliation deal.
The deal ended seven years of division between the two factions, which had led to the establishment of two separate seats of government – Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza – after the latter routed troops loyal to Abbas in 2007 and assumed control of the entire Gaza Strip.
Last week, Hamas accused the Palestinian unity government of having neglected the embattled Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Israel's recent onslaught.
Israel's recent 51-day offensive on the coastal strip left some 2,157 Gazans dead and 11,000 injured – many critically – while damaging or destroying thousands of residential structures across the Palestinian enclave.
Over the course of Israel's "Operation Protective Edge," at least 72 Israelis – 67 soldiers and five civilians – were killed.
The offensive – initially launched with the stated aim of ending rocket fire from Gaza – ended late last month with an indefinite cease-fire, which was celebrated by Hamas as a victory over the self-proclaimed Jewish state.
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