"The government submitted a letter of resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas. It will continue to perform its duties and serve our people… until the formation of a new government", Prime Minister Hamdallah said at a meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday, according to the news agency Wafa.
The news comes after reports suggesting that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants to replace the current government and put more pressure on the Hamas movement that controls the Gaza Strip. According to the prime minister's spokesperson, Yussef al-Mahmoud, Hamdallah has welcomed the move.
READ MORE: 'Plan Offers Much Less to Palestinians Than They Were Offered Before' — Scholar
The conflict between Fatah, led by Abbas, and Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip, erupted in 2006 after several armed clashes between the Palestinian groups. In October 2017, both sides signed an agreement that stipulated the creation of a united government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank no later than 1 December 2017. However, the two parties decided to postpone the implementation of the plan.
