GAZA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hamas on Monday said it will prevent elections in Gaza if they were held without national agreement, while Fatah insisted that President Mahmoud Abbas, who has announced not to run for the elections, would be its solo candidate.

    "The elections must be held according to a national understanding without external interference and the conditions of the international quartet," said Ahmed Bahar, deputy speaker of the Hamas-dominated parliament. "Otherwise, the elections won't beheld."

    Abbas decreed the presidential and legislative elections in January 2010 despite a fierce opposition from Hamas, which won the parliamentary elections in 2006.

    Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, says it needs to restore political ties to Gaza and the West Bank where Fatah holds sway before holding elections. The split occurred when Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces in Gaza in 2007.

    Abbas said he issued his decree after Hamas rejected an Egyptian proposal for a national reconciliation. He later announced he will not run in the upcoming elections due to the failure of the Egyptian efforts and the deadlock that hit peace talks with Israel.

    But on Monday, Fatah Revolutionary Council, the movement's legislative body, said that it selects Abbas as Fatah candidate for the presidential elections.

    In a press release after a meeting in Ramallah, the council said it "expresses its full support to President Abbas and his positions regarding ending the Israeli occupation and establishing the Palestinian statehood."

    Meanwhile, the Ramallah-based al-Ayyam daily reported Monday that Abbas is considering resigning if elections are not held as he decreed in January 2010.

    The newspaper quoted undisclosed sources as saying if Abbas resigns, "he will be a caretaker president until new elections are held."

    Abbas' move has further complicated and confused expectations on the Palestinian political scene.