Antonio Guterres
Antonio GuterresReuters

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the phone following the signing of a reconciliation agreement between rival factions Fatah and Hamas, the Wafa Arab news agency reported.

According to Wafa, Guterres congratulated Abbas on the agreement with Hamas, the terrorist organization which currently runs the Gaza Strip.

Guterres told Abbas that the UN "stands ready" to assist the PA “take up its responsibilities in Gaza,” the UN said in a statement. The Secretary-General also stressed the “continuing need to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly with regard to the electricity crisis, and improved access to and from the territory.”

Under the agreement, the Palestinian Authority is to assume full control over Gaza by December 1.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu slammed the accord, stating that it makes peace harder to achieve.

"Reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas makes peace [with Israel] much harder to achieve," the Prime Minister wrote on his Facebook page following the end of the Simchat Torah holiday.

"Reconciling with mass-murderers is part of the problem, not part of the solution. Say yes to peace and no to joining hands with Hamas," Netanyahu added.

Israel continues to demand that Hamas disarm, abide by previous agreements with the PA, recognize Israel's right to exist, and release all Israeli citizens held captive in the Gaza Strip.