Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has decided to sack civil servants linked to Hamas in the latest move against the rival Islamist movement since it seized power in the Gaza Strip. "This decision was proposed three days ago by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and finalised on Friday by President Abbas. It will remain in force as long as Hamas continues to control the Gaza Strip by force," a Palestinian official said on Saturday. Hamas seized control of Gaza in a bloody takeover on June 15 ago after overrunning security forces loyal to Abbas in a week of vicious street battles, effectively splitting Palestinian society into two. The Palestinian official said the decision affected civil servants appointed after a power-sharing agreement in February paved the way for a short-lived national unity government headed by Hamas. Following the Gaza takeover, Abbas fired the Hamas-led cabinet and appointed his own headed by Fayyad whose power in reality only extends to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Sacked Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya refuses to recognise the Abbas cabinet and insists that he remains the legitimate leader of the Palestinian government.