GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The frequency of conflicting statements has increased between the Palestinian government and Hamas on control of the three crossings separating the Gaza Strip, Israel and Egypt. Each of the parties has accused the other of delaying the handover, one of the most important conditions for the unity government to take control of the besieged Gaza Strip, allow the entry of reconstruction materials and reopen the Rafah border crossing.

While Hamas has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, of evading its responsibilities toward Gaza, the government responded that Hamas, which had controlled Gaza for seven years, refuses to hand over control of the crossings, asking for “a partnership.”

Hamdallah called on Hamas to hand over the crossings on Jan. 3, saying, “All parties in Gaza need to empower the consensus government and hand over control of the crossings.” This statement came after the government formed a committee to take over the crossings, headed by Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh. The committee also includes Nazmi Muhanna, the director-general of the PA's general administration of border crossings, and Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs Nasser al-Sarraj.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri retorted in a Jan. 4 media statement, “The Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, considers Hamdallah’s call to hand over control of the crossings as a pretext to evade his responsibilities, since there are no employees of the previous government at the border crossings with Israel. The movement calls on him to halt the policy of discrimination and neglect against the Gaza Strip.”