Ramallah - The Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday said the Palestinian Authority (PA) was maintaining a campaign to shut down charities and local aid organizations in West Bank.

The PA's "frantic campaign has targeted many charities and service organizations by storming, closing and confiscating the belongings of these organizations," Hamas said in a statement.

Gaza - Qatar has entered the mediation efforts between rival
Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas in a new bid to achieve
reconciliation between the two sides, Palestinian sources said on
Saturday.

"Qatar, as a state of strategic weight in the region, seeks to
sponsor the mediation between Hamas and Fatah to end the internal split
and reunite the two wings of Palestine," the sources said.

The split was made last year when Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza and
seized control of the coastal Strip. Fatah was driven out to the West

Gaza - The Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to join a national committee designated to end politically-motivated arrests among Palestinian groups, an official said Saturday.

The formation of the committee was offered last week during a meeting between leaders of the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and officials from leftist Palestinian factions after a surge of politically-motivated detentions conducted by Hamas in Gaza and Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.

Ramallah - Thousands of Palestinians were expected to gather in Ramallah Wednesday to bid farewell to their most famous poet and the author of their declaration of independence.

Mahmoud Darwish died at a United States hospital on Friday following open heart surgery. He was 67.

Darwish's coffin was due to arrive at noon at the headquarters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a Jordanian army helicopter coming from Amman.

Ramallah  - Palestinian Authority (PA) employees in Gaza will receive complete salaries this month after Israel agreed to send 72 million shekels (20 million dollars) in cash to the besieged territory, Palestinian official said on Saturday.

Jehad al-Wazeer, head of the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA), expected that Israel will allow the entry of the cash to Gaza very soon "so the banks will be able to pay full salaries to the employees."

Gaza - The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas should rule in the West Bank in addition to the Gaza Strip which it currently controls, a senior Hamas leader said Saturday.

"Hamas movement must rule in Gaza and the occupied West Bank according to the results of the elections," said Mahmoud Zahar, former Hamas foreign minister in Gaza.

His remarks were made in response to Western support for the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces currently control the West Bank.