Alwaght- Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, says it is ready to receive the Palestinian Unity Government in Gaza days after reaching a pact with Ramallah based Fatah party.
In a press conference held on Tuesday immediately after returning to the Gaza Strip from Cairo, Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyah told “To show Hamas’ seriousness to bring about reconciliation, we invite the unity government to come and assume its duties in Gaza unimpeded".
Haniyah added “We are awaiting the next step to be taken by the government in Ramallah – to end the punitive measures taken against the Gaza Strip in previous months".
The Hamas leader described his talks in Cairo regarding the reconciliation as “important and positive developments."
"We have opened the door wide before [Fatah’s] decision-makers to take courageous decisions to unite the Palestinian people as our cause faces huge challenges,” Haniyah said. “We are keen to end the siege on Gaza and we have exerted much effort to do this through the gate of the reconciliation."
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is prepared to undertake its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, the PA cabinet, led by Mahmoud Abbas, announced following its weekly meeting on Tuesday, days after Hamas, the de facto ruling party in Gaza, pledged to dissolve its administrative committee that runs the besieged coastal enclave.
The Hamas movement announced Sunday it has dissolved its administrative committee -- formed earlier this year to the outrage of the PA-- and agrees to hold general elections for the first time since 2006, enter talks with Fatah, and allow the national reconciliation government to operate in Gaza.
Tel Aviv regime has imposed an all-out siege on Gaza controls Gaza access, except at the Egyptian border, and controls all crossings between Gaza and the West Bank. Egypt has contributed to land, air, and sea blockade on the enclave. The Israeli authorities have kept the Gaza Strip mostly closed in the past two decades and especially since 2007.
Palestinian Authority has also compounded the misery of the Gazans through “punitive measures” which it has imposed to squeeze Hamas and force it to relinquish the control of the enclave.
Among a series of economic sanctions has been the reduction of payments for Gaza electricity, which has prompted Israel to drastically cut power supply to the territory of 1.8 million residents to less than four hours a day.
