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.

At least three Palestinian militants were killed in Israeli military operations in the West Bank on Tuesday. Two alleged gunmen were killed in a drone attack near Tubas after a "cell of armed terrorists" had previously fired on soldiers,

A month into a crackdown by Palestinian security forces on militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the streets of Jenin refugee camp are deserted, except for a few residents briefly checking on their homes.

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.