CAIRO, Egypt - In a stark sign of its rejection of Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip, Egypt announced it was moving its embassy from Gaza to Ramallah, where the headquarters of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are located, a foreign ministry statement said yesterday.

A group of Egyptian diplomats have already left for Ramallah, the statement said, ending a 15-year presence in Gaza. The Egyptian ambassador is due to arrive in Ramallah in the coming days, it added.

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After the takeover of Gaza by Hamas gunmen Thursday, Abbas dismantled his Fatah party's coalition government with Hamas and installed a new emergency cabinet.

Hamas has refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the new government, and insists the old government remains in place.

Egypt withdrew its mediators from Gaza Friday, and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the following day that his country opposed any attempt by Hamas to set up a separate government in the Gaza Strip after its military takeover of the territory.