Gaza Strip ? Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters marched Friday in the Gaza Strip to show their backing for the militant group, even as its efforts to form a national unity government appeared stalled.

Hamas, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections in January, has dropped in popularity in recent months as international sanctions against the Palestinian government and an Israeli military offensive in Gaza have worsened poverty.

The cutoff in foreign aid has prevented the Palestinian Authority from paying full salaries to its 165,000 employees for six months. Many civil servants responded by going on strike and calling for the resignation of the Hamas government.