Ruins of high-rise in Gaza
Photo: AFP
Palestinian ministers travel to Gaza to quell dissent
After senior Hamas official accuses unity government of deliberately delaying reconstruction of Strip, eight ministers to meet in the coastal enclave.
Eight Palestinian ministers were expected in Gaza on Monday, after a top Hamas official slammed the unity government for dragging its heels on the reconstruction of Gaza in the wake of the summer's war with Israel, according to Palestinian media.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy chairman of the Islamist group, charged the unity government for "deliberately impeding the reconstruction of Gaza Strip" at a Saturday evening panel on trade unions, according to official Palestinian news agency Ma'an.
Several protests erupted on Sunday in the Strip demanding the unity cabinet - formed in June after intensive negotiations between the two Palestinian factions - pressure the Israeli administration to end the blockade of Gaza.
Top Hamas official Abu Marzouk (Photo: Reuters)
The representatives of the historic Fatah-Hamas accords met in the Strip only once, on October 9, before an international donor conference was held in Cairo to raise funds for the Strip's rehabilitation.
But the atmosphere of unity was marred in early November when a wave of bombings hit the homes of Fatah officials in Gaza, causing Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to cancel a scheduled trip to the Strip.
On Monday, however, a long-awaited return visit should occur, with the ministers of health, educations, social affairs, and local government, as well as the chiefs of the water, power, and environmental agencies, expected to make the trip from Ramallah, according to a Ma'an report.
The two largest Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have been at odds ever since the latter took over the Gaza Strip in a violent coup in 2007, murdering and exiling many Fatah members.
Elior Levy contributed to this report.
