A senior Hamas leader, on Tuesday, slammed the threatening measures that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was intending to carry out to end 10 years of Hamas rule of the Gaza Strip.

Recently, Abbas announced that there would be soon “unprecedented measures” to be carried out in the Gaza Strip.

He also aimed to end Hamas rule of the Gaza Strip, which began when the Islamic movement violently seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Senior Hamas leader, Khalil al-Hayyah, told a news conference that neither his movement nor other Palestinian factions, even the populations of the coastal enclave would accept those threats.

He added that the factions had increased their daily life suffering and poverty.

“Abbas is punishing the poor Gaza Strip populations by cutting the employees’ salaries, imposing high taxations on the fuels that operate Gaza power station and cutting the aid to the families of the martyrs,’’ al-Hayyah said.

Internal division between Hamas and Abbas and his Fatah Party on the other have been unresolved since 2007.

Hamas accused Abbas and the consensus government for neglecting and fighting Gaza instead of standing to its side.

“Gaza and Hamas can never be threatened or terrified.

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“We were not afraid when we were under the threats of missiles during the previous wars waged on Gaza and we tell Abbas that your threats won’t terrify or frighten us,’’ al-Hayyah said.

Several governments were formed in accordance between the two rivals.

However, feuds and disputes between them went on and the two sides kept trading accusations over who is responsible for the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Al-Hayyah announced that his government had formed a committee one year ago and called it “the committee to rule Gaza Strip’s daily affairs” after Abbas and the consensus government turned their backs to the Gaza Strip.

“They cut off 30 per cent of the employees’ salaries, they insisted to impose high taxations on fuels and deprived 400 families of receiving humanitarian aid, so we formed the committee,’’ al-Hayyah said.

However, he said “although we formed the committee to run Gaza affairs, we tell the consensus government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, come and rule the Gaza Strip, we are ready to handover the Gaza Strip to this government.”

“When this government and its ministries come to Gaza and takeover all ministries, then the committee that Hamas had formed will automatically dismantled,’’ al-Hayyah said.

Meanwhile, he announced that his movement has accepted the Qatari initiative and holding the parliamentary and presidential elections

“Let’s go for general elections within three months from now,’’ he added. (NAN)