Hamas security officers prevented an official from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party from leaving the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, Fatah said in a statement on Sunday.

The move is part of finger-pointing between the rival groups over their failure to form a transitional unity government to achieve national reconciliation under the Egyptian-sponsored mediation efforts.

Ammal Hamad, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, was going to the West Bank to attend the committee's meeting, the statement said, adding that Hamas security officers held her for an hour and half on their checkpoint ahead of Erez crossing point before ordering her to return to Gaza.

Fatah said banning Hamad from leaving Gaza "destroys the positive atmosphere of reconciliation," accusing some Hamas leaders of "seeking to foil the reconciliation," according to the statement.