The Palestinian prime minister says it's unacceptable for any entity other than the Palestinian Authority to run the Gaza Strip in the future.

The Palestinian Authority must be the sole governing power in Gaza after the war, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Wednesday, as expectations grew that a deal to halt fighting and start returning Israeli hostages was near.

Mohammad Mustafa is Prime Minister of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Popular support for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has been in steady decline. Now, to burnish its credentials, the authority is taking on a militant stronghold in Jenin. The high-risk move is further dividing Palestinian society.

The U.S. has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood, however the Israeli government opposes that plan. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began on Oct.