Hamas considers alternative to unity government in Gaza

Gaza, July 6: The Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza said that it will consider forming a separatist government if the disagreement with other Palestinian factions continues, media reported Sunday.

Hamas' Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hammad Saturday said that the Gaza Strip has been ignored since the inception of the new Palestinian unity government, Xinhua reported.

Since the formation of the new Palestinian unity government, it has put Gaza into a critical situation and threatened the internal Palestinian reconciliation, Hammad added.

A salary crisis, in which thousands of Hamas employees in the Gaza Strip have been denied their wages, has haunted the new government since day one.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah announced earlier that the new Palestinian government's budget would not be able to cover a $40 million bill for the monthly salaries of 58,000 civil employees.

The 58,000 people were employed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip after it seized control of the territory in 2007.

A Hamas official said that the movement will not remain patient forever for the ongoing political and administrative vacuum in the Gaza Strip which has been under Israeli siege for more than seven years.

But the official denied that Hamas is planning to blow up the reconciliation agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party and seize control of the Gaza Strip again.

IANS