Hamas has formally taken power, with the Palestinian president swearing in its 24-member cabinet, including 14 ministers who served time in Israeli prisons.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president who is a moderate from the defeated Fatah Party, administered the oath to some of the cabinet ministers in a brief ceremony at Gaza City's parliament building on Wednesday.

The first to be sworn in on Wednesday was Ismail Haniya, who walked along a red carpet, then placed his hand on a copy of Quran.

Haniya, as the new prime minister, pledged to be "loyal to the homeland and its sacred places".

Israeli humiliation

With Israel banning the travel of Hamas leaders between the West Bank and Gaza, the remainder of the ministers held a separate ceremony in the West Bank. The two settings were hooked up by videoconference.

US cut-off

Meanwhile, the US has ordered its diplomats and contractors not to have any contacts with Palestinian ministries now that a Hamas-led government has been sworn in, US officials said.

The directive, distributed to US officials in the region by email, bars them from having contacts with Hamas-appointed government ministers, whether they are members of Hamas or not, as well as with those who work for them, US officials said.

PHOTO CAPTION

Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniya (C) stands with Interior minister Said Siam (L) and Foreign Minister Mahmud al-Zahar (R) in Gaza City. (AFP)