Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah (Photo: Reuters)
Palestinian Authority employees were prevented from returning to work at a number of ministries in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a union said, in another sign of tension ahead of a reconciliation deadline.
Islamist movement Hamas is due to hand back control of Gaza, including all ministries, to the Palestinian Authority by Friday, a decade after seizing it in a 2007 near civil war.
The Hamas-run union for public employees said it had instructed its delegates to block former employees from returning to work at the ministries, saying their return came in a "random manner" and aimed at "creating great problems".
It said in a statement that the ban would continue until a decision regarding the current Hamas employees was agreed.
Witnesses said dozens of former employees were blocked at the finance, health and education ministries among others.
Control of some ministries has already been transferred.
After the 2007 power shift, the Palestinian Authority continued to pay around 60,000 staff in Gaza, despite the vast majority not working.
Hamas has hired around 50,000 civil servants to replace them in the past decade, and the future of those staff is a key sticking point.
On Tuesday, Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah called on PA employees to return to their former jobs, with Hamas criticising the move.
The reconciliation agreement signed last month between both sides stipulates they have until February to find a solution for the Gaza employees, which could include merging the two civil services.
The future of Hamas's armed wing is another key dispute between the parties.
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