By Ola Attalah
GAZA
Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday called on Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to pursue his planned visit to the Gaza Strip as scheduled.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement that Hamdallah was acting as a leader of Palestinian Fatah movement, not as a premier.
"Hamdallah should shoulder his responsibilities as a prime minister toward the Gaza Strip," he added.
The Palestinian premier had postponed a planned visit to the Gaza Strip, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, following a series of blasts targeting the homes of Fatah leaders.
Fatah has denounced the blasts as a "terrorist crime" and held Hamas responsible for the explosions.
Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation deal in April aimed at ending seven years of division, which had led to the establishment of two rival seats of government – in Gaza and Ramallah respectively – after Hamas routed pro-Fatah forces in 2007 and took control of the entire Gaza Strip.
The April reconciliation deal led to the formation of a Palestinian unity government in June.
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