GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The visit paid by the Ramallah-based ministers of the Palestinian Authority (PA), including Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, to Gaza on Oct. 2 gave Gaza residents hope that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would also pay Gaza a visit amid media reports that he would take such a step once the PA is in full control there. Abbas was last in Gaza in May 2007, shortly before Hamas seized full control of the enclave in June 2007.
Palestinians in the media have been increasingly calling on Abbas to travel to Gaza and lift the sanctions that he imposed in early April to pressure Hamas into relinquishing control over the territory. On Oct. 3, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political bureau chief, called on Abbas to visit to formally put an end to the Palestinian division. On Oct. 12, senior Fatah leader Zakaria al-Agha said such a visit is coming soon. Agha, who is based in Gaza, told Agence France-Presse that Abbas “will be in Gaza within less than a month,” but did not provide further details.
