GAZA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Fatah official on Saturday denied reports that senior Fatah officials were putting pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to cut the salaries of its employees in the Gaza Strip, ruled by rival Hamas movement.

    "President Abbas has always confirmed that he will not abandon Gaza Strip's residents and their salaries are of a high priority,"said Zakareya al-Agha, a Fatah official based in Gaza.

    Earlier reports said that senior leaders from Fatah and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) were encouraging Abbas to halt monthly payments for some 70,000 employees who live in Gaza Strip.

    The reports, which were published on several local websites, said the pressure on Abbas increased after an Egyptian initiative to reconcile the two movements failed due to Hamas' boycotting.

    "This step aims at increasing pressure on Hamas and to arouse the people against it," the reports quoted an undisclosed source.

    The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) asked its employees inGaza to stay at home and kept sending them full salaries since Islamic Hamas movement routed pro-Abbas forces and seized the coastal enclave last year.