Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, accused Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas of trying to sabotage a fragile reconciliation agreement after he accused them of running "a shadow government" in Gaza.

Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, accused Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas of trying to sabotage a fragile reconciliation agreement after he accused them of running "a shadow government" in Gaza.

In a sharply worded attack on Hamas, Abbas on Saturday threatened to break off the unity agreement over the group's de facto control of the Gaza Strip.

Abbas's words sparked an angry response from Hamas, with spokesman Fawzi Barhum accusing him in turn of trying "to destroy the reconciliation and play into the hands of the Americans and the Israelis."

The two sides signed a reconciliation deal in April, leading to the formation of a government of national consensus, which took office on June 2, following which Gaza's Hamas government formally stepped down.

The spat erupted just two weeks after the end of a 50-day Israeli offensive on Gaza.

Throughout the assault, Hamas and Fatah put up a united front, working side-by-side to further indirect truce talks with Israel in Cairo, which resulted in an open-ended ceasefire that took effect on August 26.