Saleh Ra’fat, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee, said that “the Palestinian leadership has not received until this moment an official response from Hamas regarding Abu Mazen (Abbas) visit to Gaza Strip.”

Ra’fat told the Voice of Palestine Radio that “it is clear that the Hamas leadership wants to turn Abu Mazen’s initiative to new meetings for national reconciliation dialogue, although it is ended.”

The PLO official warned that the “announcements of Hamas leaders and spokesman of the movement’s readiness to meet with President Abbas in Gaza or any place outside Palestinian territories indicates that Hamas wants to start new rounds of national dialogue and not to end the internal split.”

On Wednesday, Abbas announced that he is ready to go to Gaza Strip to end the internal split and to form an independent government.

Meanwhile, Hamas police in Gaza detained a Palestinian protester and two Palestinian cameramen on Thursday while breaking up a rally calling for political reconciliation, and 16 other protesters holed themselves up in a UN school, where Hamas police are prevented from operating.

About 40 activists gathered in front of a UN school, waving flags and chanting slogans for unity between the rival Hamas and Fatah factions. When Hamas police approached the group, it dispersed, and police detained the three Palestinians.

Protester Nuha Wajeh told reporters by text message that the group vows not to leave the school until representatives from the dueling Palestinian parties  meet with them and pledge to end their bitter rivalry.

Chris Gunness, spokesman of UNRWA, which aids refugees, said his agency appealed to authorities in Gaza to “allow these 16 people safe passage from the UNRWA compound and to guarantee their safety.”