GAZA CITY — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke by telephone on Thursday with Gaza’s Hamas premier Ismail Haniyeh and congratulated him on his “victory”, a Hamas statement said.

“In a telephone conversation, president Abu Mazen [Abbas] congratulated prime minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas on his victory and offered condolences for the martyrs,” a statement from the Gazan leader’s office said.

A truce to end eight days of violence in and around Gaza was agreed between Israel and Hamas and announced in Cairo on Wednesday evening, with Hamas expected to enforce its terms on the various militant groups in the Palestinian territory.

Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said: “The president received a phone call from brother Haniyeh who informed him of the situation in Gaza after the ceasefire.”

“The president saluted [the Palestinian] steadfastness in face of the aggression and stressed the importance of reaching a ceasefire and sparing Gaza the scourge of war,” Wafa said, adding: “The president supports the efforts to strengthen national unity.”

In addition, Haniyeh and two other senior Gaza officials — Ahmed Bahar of Hamas and Mohammed Al Hindi of Islamic Jihad — expressed their “support for the national drive for observer status from the UN on November 29”, Wafa said.

But Hamas spokesman Taher Al Nunu denied his premier had supported Abbas’ UN bid.

“It is not true,” he said in a statement on Thursday evening, adding “the media should be more careful”.