Ramallah – Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said on Monday his government’s success in the Gaza Strip would depend on its ability to work on the ground.

Hamdallah, accompanied by a senior governmental delegation, crossed into the Gaza Strip on Monday in a move towards reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas parties, as his unity government would begin assuming control of the region’s administrative affairs, as well as “security tasks and responsibility for crossings and borders.”

“What Gaza experienced in the years of division can no longer bear any waste of time in stalling and disagreement.

Now it is time to work because the only beneficiary of divisions is the occupation forces,” the Palestinian prime minister said, addressing the welcoming crowds.

“We seek to work with all factions, the private sector, and the civil society to enable the government to fulfill its tasks in the sector, address the repercussions of division and heal the rift that has exhausted every Palestinian and caused major imbalances in the structure of the society and its political system as a whole,” he added, promising that the government would deploy all efforts “to have a positive impact on citizens’ lives.”

Hamdallah highly praised Egypt’s role in the reconciliation, calling on all parties to unify ranks and put “national consensus at the top of priorities.”

The prime minister went on to say: “We are fully aware that the road is still long and arduous, and that we will encounter obstacles and challenges… But our people, who emerged from the rubble of the Nakba, are now able to rise again from destruction and suffering of Gaza, to protect their homeland and their future and to live in freedom and dignity.”

Hamdallah is expected to preside over a meeting of the Palestinian government on Tuesday held at the residence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The government will try to manage the Gaza Strip, which was under Hamas control for more than 10 years.