Supporters of the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Friday celebrated Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, while the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) expressed hope that the situation in Egypt would settle down soon.

Mubarak decided to step down on Friday afternoon after 18 days of mass protests against his 30-year rule.

As soon as Mubarak's resignation was announced, hundreds of residents in the Gaza Strip and supporters of Hamas took to streets, shooting into the air and chanting slogans in support of the Egyptian people. Many delivered sweets and candies and others celebrated with fireworks.

Dozens of cars driving on Gaza city's main streets turned on their horns. Masked gunmen, members of Hamas armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, paraded on Gaza city's main street waving the Egyptian flags and Hamas' green flags.

Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, told Xinhua that Hamas "supports and backs the Egyptian people," adding that his movement "believes that what happened is the beginning of the victory of the Egyptian people and their revolution."

He called on the new regime in Egypt to help the Palestinians end the Israeli blockade "and forever reopen Rafah crossing on the borders between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in order to allow reconstruction of what had been destroyed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip."

Meanwhile, the security forces of the deposed government of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, redeployed its security forces along the borderline with Egypt to prevent any infiltration of people from the enclave into Egypt or vice versa.

In the town of Rafah in southern Gaza Strip where hundreds of tunnels were dug under the borderline between the enclave and Egypt for smuggling, thousands of Palestinians took to streets, waving the Egyptian flags and singing songs that showed support of the Egyptians.

In Gaza City, thousands of Hamas supporters and militants rallied waving Hamas' green flags and celebrating Mubarak's resignation. "We congratulate the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt for this victory," said a Hamas leader, who led a Hamas rally on the streets of Gaza City.

The office of the deposed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haneya said in an official statement emailed to reporters that Haneya had spoken with chairman of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badee "on the success of the Egyptian revolution."

"The stepping down of Mubarak and the victory of the Egyptian revolution will write a new history for Egypt," Haneya said, adding that "a new era has begun not only for Egypt, but for the entire region. We hope that the new Egyptian regime will help lift the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza."

"Today the tyrant in Egypt collapsed and tomorrow the tyrant in al-Muqata'a (President Mahmoud Abbas headquarters) will collapse, so be patient our people in the West Bank." Abbas and the PNA were closed allies to the former Egyptian regime.

The Palestinian leadership, which rules the West Bank, expressed hope on Friday that the situation would settle down in Egypt after Mubarak stepped down. Nemer Hammad, an aide to PNA President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinians wish calm and peace for Egypt.

"The Palestinian leadership hopes that this stage of time would pass peacefully in Egypt, where calm and stability will be a top priority for the Egyptians," Hammad said, adding that "we hope that the new rule in Egypt would be able to support the Palestinian people and their just cause."

The less influential pro-Iran Islamic Jihad (Holy War) movement said in a press statement that it congratulates Egypt and its people "for this great achievement and this big step," adding that "we hope that what happened in Egypt would lead to a real change of all the tyrants in the Arab World."