The Palestinian prime minister has appealed for unity at the start of a rare trip to Gaza, as part of efforts to end a rift between Fatah and Hamas.
Rami Hamdallah is heading a delegation from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which is taking over from an administration disbanded by Hamas.
He said his priority was to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s residents.
Previous attempts at reconciliation have failed, and there are difficult obstacles which still stand in the way.
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been ruled separately since the rift erupted in violence in 2007.
Hamas won parliamentary elections in the occupied territories the previous year, and reinforced its power in Gaza after ousting Fatah from the enclave.
