As part of a wider cabinet reshuffle, Hamas appointed its first woman minister on Thursday.
Jamila Ash-Shanti, the widow of Hamas leader and co-founder Abdul Aziz Ar-Rantissi, was appointed as the minister of women's affairs.
The move represented the first time that has been appointed to the government in Gaza since Hamas took power in 2006. Shanti is a lecturer at the Islamic University in the Strip.
The group also appointed a foreign minister for the first time since it took power in Gaza. Also appointed were new ministers of National Economy, Prisoners, Youth and Sports, Planning, and secretary-general of the Council of Ministers.
