GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has forbidden officials in his government from visiting the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in the wake of a bombing that targeted Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13, igniting debate among Palestinians over motives behind the move.
According to Palestinian officials who spoke to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on March 25, "President Abbas issued an internal decision to stop the Palestinian Authority (PA) officials’ visits to the Gaza Strip after the bombing."