PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to scrap a unity agreement with Hamas at the weekend, accusing the rival group of running a “shadow government” in the Gaza Strip.

Mr Abbas, who was in Cairo for talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, said he wanted a single authority and single system of rule in the divided territory, but that Hamas was not allowing the West Bank-based Fatah administration to operate properly in Gaza.

He said the national reconciliation government, which was set up under an April deal to stop seven years of often violent rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, “cannot do anything on the ground.

“We won’t accept a partnership with them if the situation continues like this in Gaza where there is a shadow government,” Mr Abbas said.

Hamas rejected the allegations as “untrue, baseless and unfair to our people.”

Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri added that more talks were due “soon” to flesh out the April pact.

A Ramallah-based technocratic cabinet officially took office on June 2, with Hamas formally relinquishing control over Gaza the same day.

But the Islamist group has effectively retained power in the strip and plans to implement the unity deal were put on hold when Israel invaded on July 8.

A 16-year-old Palestinian injured during a demonstration in Jerusalem a week ago died of his wounds yesterday, his father said.

Abdelmajed Sunokrot said his son Mohammed was only passing the protest when he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet.