RAMALLAH, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas intended to stand for elections in a unified list comprising most of the Palestinian factions in opposition to Hamas' rejection, a Palestinian daily reported Monday.

    "Abbas wants the Palestinian factions and some independents to appear in one electoral list to show the Palestinian unity against Hamas' position," al-Ayyam newspaper reported, quoting well-informed sources.

    On Friday, Abbas decreed presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 24, 2010, despite an opposition from Hamas which won the 2006 legislative polls.

    Abbas' decree came after Hamas rejected an Egyptian proposal delaying the elections to June 2010 to allow Hamas and Fatah to reconcile and restore political unity in both Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

    Hamas, which took over Gaza by force in 2007, "has few days to retreat its decision not to sign the Egyptian reconciliation offer," the sources told the Ramallah-based newspaper. "Otherwise, the elections must be held in January to avoid any constitutional vacuum."

    The sources said that Abbas would not call off his decree even if Hamas prevented people in Gaza from voting.

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts