Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas threatened to dissolve his alliance with Hamas on Sunday if the Islamic militant group does not give up power in the Gaza Strip, according to The Associated Press.
"We will not accept having a partnership if their status in Gaza remains this way," Abbas said late Saturday in Cairo in comments carried by Egypt's state news agency MENA, the AP reported.
Hamas has controlled Gaza since overrunning Abbas' forces in 2007 and is now facing international isolation and a deep financial crisis, the AP reported.
The Islamic militant group agreed to the formation of a new unity government with Abbas' Fatah movement in June, in which it would restore governing power to Abbas in the territory, but it has yet to yield power, according to the AP.
The war against Israel has killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and caused billions of dollars of damage, the AP reported.
"Unity has terms. This situation does not represent any kind of unity," Abbas said, according to the AP. "If Hamas does not want one authority, one law, one weapon, we will not accept a partnership with it."
Ismail Radwan, a Hamas leader, denounced Abbas' comments, saying they "contradict the spirit of the new partnership and play down the victory of the resistance," the AP reported.
Hamas is looked down upon in the international community as a terrorist group, according to the AP. Israel has boycotted the government, saying Hamas' involvement is clear, though it has no formal role.
Abbas criticized the group's handling of the war, accusing it of making unrealistic demands for a full lifting of Israel's blockade of Gaza and dragging out cease-fire talks, the AP reported.
"With every passing day, more blood was shed," Abbas said, criticizing the heavy death toll and damage, according to the AP. "Is this the victory they talk about? Regrettably, I can only say the results are tragic."
Hamas is still currently in firm control of Gaza with an arsenal of rockets and thousands of armed fighters, the AP reported.
