Haniyeh says Hamas government won't step down

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said today that his embattled Hamas-led government had no intention of stepping down, despite a sweeping civil service strike and an economic crisis that a top UN official said has brought the Gaza Strip to a “point of near meltdown".

Hamas’ takeover of the Palestinian Authority in March has provoked crushing international sanctions that have rendered the government unable to pay its 165,000 employees for the past six months.