World Bulletin/News Desk

Palestinian resistance faction Hamas said Monday that the unity government has been "taken hostage" by its West Bank-based rival faction Fatah.

"Fatah movement is currently dominating the unity government and its decisions," Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas also said the unity government headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has disappointed the Palestinian people, especially the residents of the Gaza Strip.

It was not possible to get immediate response from Fatah or the unity government on Hamas' statement.

Hamas and Fatah have recently traded blame for derailing an April reconciliation deal aimed at ending seven years of division between them. The deal led to the formation of the Palestinian unity government in June.

The relations between the two group worsened further earlier this month when the homes of several Fatah leaders in the Gaza Strip were bombed synchronously. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah movement, blamed Hamas for the attacks.

Hamas, for its part, denied involvement in the attacks and accused the unity government of failing to meet the needs of the Gaza people.