Palestinian Authority forms new government

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has formed a new cabinet, in which he will also serve as foreign minister, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

A longstanding adviser of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Mustafa was tapped by his boss for the role of prime minister earlier this month. Abbas, who has led the Palestinian Authority for nearly two decades and who remains in overall control, announced the new government in a presidential decree on Thursday.

The government will have 24 ministers, including five from Gaza and four women - one of whom is from the Armenian community. Mustafa, who has promised to create a technocratic government in Gaza, has replaced Riyad al-Maliki as foreign minister.

According to Reuters, the stated priority of the government will be the restoration of the Gaza Strip, including a plan to increase access to humanitarian aid, as well as the stabilisation of the economic situation of the Palestinian Authority.

These aims - and the composition of the cabinet - face opposition from different parts of Palestinian society, including Hamas.