Mahmoud Abbas says Hamas will not rule post-war Gaza during meeting with Tony Blair

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters on Sunday that Hamas will not rule Gaza after Israel ends its 21-month-long war on the besieged enclave.

During a meeting with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Abbas also said Hamas must hand over its weapons to the PA and "engage in political work under a unified legal system - one authority, one law, and one legitimate weapon".

Abbas, 89, and his administration are deeply unpopular among ordinary Palestinians due to allegations of corruption and their close ties to Israel. 

Since the start of the year, PA security forces have intensified a crackdown on armed groups in the occupied West Bank, killing dozens of fighters opposed to Israel.

Earlier this year, in a development first reported by Middle East Eye, Abbas visited Lebanon, where he agreed to a framework under which Palestinian factions would disarm.

Read more: Mahmoud Abbas says Hamas will not rule post-war Gaza during meeting with Tony Blair