The Ridwan family, named after governor Ridwan Pasha, was the first dynasty to govern Gaza and would continue to rule the city for over a century.

Governing Gaza and its estimated 800,000 residents - about half of them refugees and their children - will be a profound challenge for the Palestine Liberation Organization.

However, the Islamist group Hamas, which governs Gaza, welcomed the attacks as a blow against the Jewish state, which it refuses to recognise.

Mr Abbas's main Fatah faction backs it, although there is less enthusiasm from its political rival, Hamas, the Islamic group which governs Gaza.

Husayn's brother Musa Pasha then governed Gaza into the early 1670s, implementing an anti-French and anti-Christian regime to appease the Ottoman government.

Hamas, which governs Gaza, also denied involvement.

They knew that Palestinian factions had begun struggling over who will govern Gaza and how, whether it will be ruled by agreement, by ballot, by force, or not at all.

It said the Islamist Hamas movement - which governs Gaza - was "solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip".

Hamas has been exploring taking a role in helping govern Gaza once the Israelis leave.

How the Palestinians will govern Gaza after the Israelis pull out will be a considerable test for them, officials close to Mr. Abbas freely concede.