Reports have indicated that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has requested permission from Israel to enter the Gaza Strip, apparently in an attempt to fulfill a promise he made last week to visit the besieged territory.

The Palestinian Authority President said in a speech before the Turkish parliament on Thursday that he would travel to Gaza, even if it meant risking his life, for the first time since the violent expulsion of the Fatah movement that he leads from the territory by its rivals, Hamas, in 2007.

On Sunday, the Secretary General of the PLO, Hussein Sheikh, formally requested that Israel allow Abbas to visit Gaza, using one of the Israeli crossings into the territory and not via Rafah in Egypt, according to the "Walla" news site on Monday.

The request came in a letter sent to National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi from Sheikh, who also serves as a liaison officer between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, according to Walla. The site mentioned that a copy of the letter was also sent to Washington.

A Palestinian source familiar with Abbas’s travel plans told the Times of Israel on Monday that Abbas has appealed to the United States and other members of the international community for help in supporting the trip.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that the Palestinian Authority expects to have to rally Israeli approval and international support to arrange the trip to the area, which is governed by Hamas and has been devastated by more than 10 months of war triggered by the October 7 attack.

The source added that Hamas's approval is also important. The Fatah movement, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, has been engaged in bitter rivalry with Hamas for decades, although the factions recently began a new round of reconciliation talks after years of stalled progress toward a breakthrough.

As part of a campaign to rally support for Abbas's trip, the Palestinian Authority has made contacts with the United Nations, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Arab and Islamic countries, members of the European Union and African Union, and other nations, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported this week.

No date for the planned visit has been announced.

The source familiar with the arrangements said that the visit would not take place before the conclusion of the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding a prisoner ceasefire agreement, a topic that is currently witnessing intense diplomatic activity in Qatar and Egypt.

The war in Gaza erupted as a result of Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, which left about 1,200 people dead inside Israel and resulted in the captivity of 251 hostages in Gaza, with more than a hundred still missing. Israel has tightened the blockade on the territory and invaded in response, aiming to topple Hamas and free the hostages, leading to the deaths of 40,000 Palestinians, displacing thousands, and destroying 80% of Gaza's infrastructure.

Tel Aviv is now negotiating an agreement with the United States, Egypt, and Qatar that could halt the war and release the hostages.

No comment on the request has been issued from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who would have the final say on granting Abbas entry, according to Walla.

Even if Abbas sought to enter Gaza from Egypt via the Rafah crossing, a certain level of coordination with Israel would be required, with Israeli defense forces controlling the Gaza side of the crossing.

Abbas's visit to Gaza following a ceasefire agreement would signal a strong willingness of the Palestinian Authority to regain administrative control over the enclave instead of Hamas. The international community has supported the idea of Palestinian Authority management after the war, but Netanyahu has largely rejected it, claiming that the Palestinian Authority is not far enough removed from Hamas or terrorism.

Both Hamas and its allies say they reject the administration of the territory by the Palestinian Authority or any other Western-backed entity, and they are likely to view Abbas's visit as a challenge to what remains of the group's control over the territory.

In 2018, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah was targeted in a failed assassination attempt by a car bomb during a visit to the territory, highlighting the risks such a visit by Abbas could pose even if fighting were to cease.

According to Walla, Israeli officials believe that the Palestinian Authority expects the entry permit request to be denied, allowing Abbas to gain political points for appearing ready to travel to Gaza while Israel opens itself up to further global criticism for obstructing him.

In October, Abbas informed the Biden administration that he would not return to Gaza "on the back of an Israeli tank" and would only agree to regain control of Gaza as part of broader international arrangements, according to a Palestinian official at the time.