Former Fatah Gaza official Mohammed Dahlan challenged Hamas to provide for the impoverished strip from his refuge in the West Bank in an interview on Saturday.

Dahlan moved to the West Bank city of Ramallah after Hamas' gunmen defeated pro-Fatah security forces in a five-day battle that ended on Thursday.

Dahlan, a security adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was Fatah's hope to crush Hamas.

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He justified the poor performance of the pro-Fatah security men, who
outnumbered Hamas fighters by thousands, explaining they were exhausted and destroyed following years of Israeli-Palestinian violence, and unprepared for war with Hamas.

During the battles, Hamas quickly seized Gaza's security compounds. Many
pro-Fatah fighters surrendering after watching the militant Muslim group's decisive victories against their colleagues.

Many Fatah loyalists said they felt betrayed by Dahlan for not personally
leading the battle against Hamas.

After infighting ended, Abbas declared an emergency state, dismissed the
Hamas-led government and formed an emergency government. Hamas has rejected the move, effectively splitting Gaza and the West Bank into two different statelets - one with international support, and another hemmed in with almost no hope of bringing in desperately needed money for impoverished Gazans.

"Gaza is...under Hamas' responsibility, and it has to provide for it. It has all legal, moral and political responsibility for what could happen in Gaza," Dahlan said.

Dahlan defiantly taunted Hamas from his Ramallah refuge.

"Let Hamas provide solutions and declare a historic empire, and call it what it wishes. It has to pay the political price," he said.

Dahlan's house was looted and burnt after Fatah's crushing loss. Hamas blames Dahlan for provoking bitter infighting with rival group Fatah, and accuses him of overseeing the crackdown and torture of its members when he ruled Gaza's security years ago.